Is this the right thing?
by WinTTY
Summary: Meeting her childhood best friend during a mosh in an abandoned lumber mill is not quite how Max imagined it in her head. Things only go downhill from there.
1. Madhouse

**A/N:**

Song(s) used in this chapter:

Anthrax - Got The Time

* * *

"Come on Max, you _have_ to come!"

"I d-don't know Dana…" she mumbled as her hand grasped her elbow. "I'm not really a party type."

Dana rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on the brunette's shoulders. "Max. Live a little! It's not going to be a party either, just a small concert. You don't even have to socialise with anyone, just listen to the music."

"It's not my taste either," she continued to list off her excuses to not attend. Max wasn't a social person, she wasn't made for these things. "I don't listen to punk rock or whatever."

"You don't have a taste Max," Dana said and squeezed her shoulders. "I've heard what you listen to, it's all over the place-"

"Hey!"

"-which is why you _need_ to come to this thing. Come on, don't make me beg on my knees." Dana threw up a pouty face coupled with puppy eyes. "Pleasee?"

Max looked at Dana for a few seconds before she let slip a sigh. "I'll consider it, how about that?"

Dana scanned her features for a second before she smiled. "That's all I'm asking for Max. This isn't a Vortex party, you don't need to be afraid of assholes hitting you up," she assured her. "Besides, you'll be with me - I can be your pretend girlfriend!"

"Oh."

"I'm kidding, Max," Dana said and rolled her eyes again. "Unless-"

"No, no, no, it's okay Dana," Max quickly shook her head and flashed an awkward smile. "You just caught me off-guard, that's all."

After another smile, Dana pulled Max into a hug. "Thank you Max! I didn't want to attend this thing alone, and since Juliet is busy with Zach I had nobody to go with."

"Wait, I didn't say-"

"I'll meet you around 8PM tomorrow, okay?" Dana interrupted and ushered the flustered Max out of her room. "Bye!"

Max winced as the door was slammed in front of her face.

 _Come on Max,_ she thought to herself, _You can do this! It's just a concert, nothing else. You came to Blackwell to break out of your shell, not delve deeper into it._

After a momentary pause, Max sighed and walked back to her room to wallow about everything that could go wrong tomorrow.

* * *

What Max certainly didn't expect was the locale where the concert would take place.

"Dana, what the hell?" she asked as they walked through the gravel parking lot in the middle of the forest.

"Relax, Max! There isn't many places in the town to host these things without too much attention, which is why," she paused and pointed at the large building, "they host it here! Isn't this cool?"

Max looked at the rather imposing, decades-old lumber mill looming between the trees. From the sounds of things, there was already a concert in progress.

"Yeah, try creepy instead," she mumbled and pulled up her hand to her elbow again. "I'm not sure about this Dana-"

"You promised!" Dana lied and put her hands on her hips, pouting again. "Don't leave me hanging _now…"_

Staring between Dana and the lumber mill a few times, Max finally nodded. "Fine."

"Yay!" Dana threw up her hands and pulled Max into a hug. "Thanks! You're the best Max."

Nodding quietly, Max allowed herself to be dragged towards the double doors leading inside.

* * *

"I told you this was chill!" Dana exclaimed over the loud punk music.

Max sat at the bar beside her friend, one hand nursing an energy drink as the other hovered over the top; just like Dana had taught her beforehand. "I'm not sure your definition of chill matches mine!"

Dana giggled and took a sip of her beer. "Maybe not," she admitted and looked around.

"I didn't figure you for a punk," Max said as she played with her can. "Thought you were more of a raver type, considering you're part of the Vortex Club and all…"

"Max, just because I'm part of it doesn't mean I like it," Dana replied and looked at the brunette. "Do you see me hanging out with Victoria and her drones?"

"No, I don't."

"Exactly. I'm only part of the club so I get the invitations to their parties - that's it. Personally I think Victoria is awful," she continued and tapped her fingers on the counter.

"You and me both," Max mumbled, her comment eliciting a giggle from her friend. "So you're here just for the party?"

"Mostly, yeah." Dana nodded. "I like to live, party and all that. Life is no fun sitting in your room all day, doing homework or whatever," she teased.

"Hey!" Max protested and playfully punched her. "I do other things than just homework!"

"Like what?" Dana questioned, her voice monotone; she wasn't impressed.

"Like… photography! I listen to music too. Watch TV… uhm… play games?" Max shrugged and took a sip of her energy drink.

"You should stop before you prove my point further," Dana spoke up with a wink.

"Okay."

Dana laughed and sipped from her bottle. "I've only been to a few of these, I started recently. It's… surprisingly more fun than Vortex. You don't get creeps like Nathan constantly hovering over your drink, nor the lewd comments from the other jocks. The people here are chill - everyone just wants to have a good time, you know?"

Max nodded and looked towards the stage, watching the last few riffs of a song being played out.

"Oh - hey!" Max exclaimed as Dana grabbed her hand and started dragging her towards the crowd. "Dana!"

"Come on Max, let's dance!" Dana laughed as she led the two of them past the small divider separating the bar from the mosh.

* * *

Max was a terrible dancer. Swaying slightly side to side, she tried to do something with her hands to make it look like she was 'thrashing' but instead she made herself look like a dolt.

"Max, you have to let loose!" Dana exclaimed as she had been doing her own routine beside her friend. "Just… allow yourself to have fun! You're all stiff and nervous, drop that act!"

"Dana…"

"Don't Dana me! Come on buttercup!" Dana took Max's hand into her own and begun to swing them side to side wildly. "Just dance!"

As her friend continued to swing her limp hands side to side, Max sighed internally and finally nodded. So _what_ if she makes herself look like an idiot? This is her _first_ time here, and probably the _last_ \- nobody is going to remember her.

"That's it!" Dana shouted and laughed as she saw Max begin to move on her own, finding a rhythm to the music. "Just do whatever! Nobody cares, we're here to chill and have fun!"

"Okay!" Max nodded and found herself falling into some sort of dance.

Looking around, she spotted a few groups thrashing together - heads and all, bodies colliding without care. _Wowsers,_ she thought.

Max tried the head bang thing herself, but quickly found that if anything it'd just made her dizzy.

As the song ended, the crowd cheered and watched as the host walked onto the stage with a mic in his hand.

"Are y'all ready for the head act?" he asked, receiving a loud cheer of approval in return. "I present to you… MADHOUSE!"

Dana cheered with everyone else, bumping shoulders with Max to get her to cheer as well. Max did, but not because she was excited but because she was pressured by her friend. Max didn't work well under pressure, no matter how small.

"Hello you beautiful people!"

Raising her eyebrow, Max tried to stand on her tiptoes to see that stage as her sight was blocked by a group of punks. Where had she heard that voice before?

"Are you all ready to thrash?"

When the crowd cheered in return, the voice broke into short laughter.

Moments later the place shook as the guitars came to life, followed by the sharp introduction of the drums a few seconds later.

"Woo!" Dana cheered as Max continued to struggle to look at the stage.

 _"Wake up, got another day to get, through now, got another man to see, gotta call him on the telephone a-yo, gotta find a piece of paper,"_ sang the voice, low and husky; almost trying to imitate the original tone of the singer. _"Sit down, got another letter to write, think hard, gotta get a letter just right, little ringin' on the telephone oh no, gotta write another letter."_

As everyone had once again begun to dance, thrash, mosh - Max was still trying spot who the singer was, using Dana for support.

 _"No such thing as tomorrow, all we want, two, three, go!"_

Guitars and drums burst into an even faster riff.

 _"Time, got the time tick tick tickin' in my head!"_

"TIME!" the crowd bellowed.

 _"Time, got the time tick tick tickin' in my head!"_

"TIME!"

 _"Time, got the time tick tickin' in my head!"_ the voice continued, _"tickin' in my head, tickin' in my head, tickin' in my head!"_

Max stopped as the group in front of her moved out of the way, revealing the stage and the lead singer to her.

 _Chloe Price._

Short azure-blue hair, sleeveless leather jacket with spikes, full sleeve tattoo and face caked in dark makeup; most notably heavy eyeliner and two black stripes on either cheek.

Yet Max could recognise her best friend, _ex-best friend,_ even after years of no contact.

Dana grabbed Max's hand and dragged her out of there.

* * *

"Thought you needed a timeout," Dana said with a smirk once they'd sat down at the bar again. "You looked pretty intense back there."

"Uh… y-yeah," she mumbled and looked down at her knees. "Dana? Who was that?"

"Madhouse."

"No, I mean-"

"Chloe Price?" Dana said and saw Max give her a timid nod in return. "How do you know her?"

"Huh? What, I didn't-"

"I mentioned her by name and you nodded, you've never been to these concerts - obviously you know her somehow," Dana pointed out and put a hand on Max's knee. "You can tell me Max."

"She… she was my best friend before I moved out of Arcadia. I… I didn't keep in contact, haven't seen or heard from her in five years," Max mumbled and looked at her friend. "How do _you_ know her?"

"She used to attend Blackwell, was expelled about two years ago for a whole bunch of shit," Dana spoke with a shrug. "She was cool. After Blackwell she moved onto music, formed Madhouse - they're pretty big in the underground scene. In Arcadia, at least."

Max turned her head towards the lone door leading into the backstage, watching as the door opened and revealed Chloe coming out and waiting patiently - foot tapping away at the wooden floorboards.

"Want to talk to her?" Dana asked, looking at her friend.

"What? No! I mean, no, not now. I… I'll do it later."

Following Chloe was a blonde girl of similar age, slightly shorter - if Max had a guess they were both roughly the same height. Flannel shirt, torn jeans, blue feather earring.

Her heart thumped in her chest as she saw Chloe lean in and leave a hungry, wanton kiss on her lips.

"Oh."

Dana choked back her laughter as she watched Max's face. "...and that's Rachel Amber, her girlfriend."

"Rachel Amber?" Max looked at Dana in surprise.

"Yes, the one that's suspended Max." Dana rolled her eyes. "Rumour is she was caught on campus with a package of drugs, police got involved, she was fined and suspended by the principal."

Max looked back towards Chloe and Rachel, noticing the two of them making their way out of the dingy venue - Chloe's arm draped across Rachel's shoulder as they were both involved in another hungry looking kiss.

"You got the hots for her?" Dana teased and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Huh? No! I just… I didn't… I didn't know she was…"

"Lesbian?" Dana finished for her.

"Lesbian." Max repeated. "That's… wow. I never knew."

Dana glanced at her friends for a few more seconds as the brunette simply stared at her knees awkwardly. "Okay, I think that's enough action for us today. Wanna head back to Blackwell?"

"Y-yeah. Lets."

Max promised herself that this would a one time thing, but now she was pretty fucking sure she'd be back here soon enough.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hiiiiii!

ANOTHER ONE!

Always wanted to write a rockstar/band AU, so here it is - I'll try to keep it short-ish? It ain't gonna be fluff (mostly), let me tell you that straight up. Except some heavy themes, though I'm no master at writing them - heads up.

Hope ya enjoy, and as always thanks for your continuing support!

ps. im actually amazed at myself at how i can juggle all these fics somehow :/

\- :) WinTTY


	2. Five-fucking-years

It was a week later that Max had found herself back in the same lumber mill.

Trying to fit in slightly, she had acquired a pair of torn jeans from Dana, wore a dark gray shirt with a deer skull and a black hoodie over it all. She even went the extra mile and pulled the hood up, pulling her head down so people wouldn't recognize her.

Standing at the back of the moshpit, she quietly watched as Madhouse walked onto stage. She stared immediately at the blue-haired punk singer at the forefront, listened as she spoke into the mic, announced their songs. She watched as she began a song with a heavy guitar riff, watched her as she bobbed her head up and down to the beat of the drums, watched as she jumped and laughed during the song.

Max found herself finding the rhythm, swaying side to side. Eventually her arms joined her, then her head and in time she found herself dancing completely. The music was different - it was harsher, more electric than the usual things Max listened to. But it felt… right. She began to take a liking to it.

Songs changed, as did the beat, but Max didn't break her rhythm. She watched as the actual mosh started near the stage and did her best to stay away, not wanting to get too close. Not just because it would probably get violent but because… Chloe was right there. Watching and pointing at the individuals. Max would be seen immediately.

She stayed at the back and danced, losing track of time.

* * *

Another week, another concert.

Max came with Dana this time - the cheerleader more than happy to accompany her friend, happy with the fact that she was finally coming out of her shell.

She wasn't though, not really. She only wanted to see Chloe. She wanted to talk to her but… she was a chickenshit, she told herself. She was scared of rejection, of an argument.

This wasn't the same Chloe she left 5 years ago - she could tell that easily, her appearance was a dead giveaway itself.

Max promised herself that next week she would talk to Chloe, for real this time.

Dana and Max talked, gossiped for a bit. They drank a beer each, and even though Max said it tasted disgusting; it didn't stop her from finishing the beverage. Dana laughed. They got to know one another a bit better - Max let spill some of her Seattle adventures with her old friends, Fernando and Kristen.

Before long, Dana dragged Max into the mosh again. They danced together, laughed away the night. Max didn't notice how Dana brought her closer to the stage than last time, didn't notice how occasionally she 'accidentally' shoved her in the direction of the blue-haired punk.

* * *

By the third concert, Max had fallen into a routine.

11PM on Saturday, she'd sneak through the dorm halls under the cover of night. By the time she was out in the dorm yard, she'd have missed the security guard usually patrolling by a minute or two. She'd make her way through to the quad, run across between Mark Jefferson's artwork displays and eventually reach the parking lot.

Then she'd walk all they way to the lumber mill. It actually wasn't that far, and it was rather easy to find it - just follow the train tracks.

Having done this three times already she was getting used to walking alone in the dark. This time she brought her old polaroid camera and took a few pictures, although they weren't any good. That's what she told herself, anyway.

Once she reached the mill, she decided to grab a beer for herself. Today she didn't want to dance that much - she was tired after the rather busy week at school.

Instead, she found a small and private area upstairs that overlooked the mosh and the stage. She sat down and dangled her legs over the crowd, occasionally sipping beer as she swayed herself side to side with the harsh beats.

She kept her hood up, and when she spotted Chloe giving her a glance she immediately scrambled back over the edge and left.

Max didn't talk to Chloe, but she was pretty sure Chloe saw her.

* * *

It was Dana who invited Max to the next concert.

Max may have had a little bit too much to drink. They danced and laughed the entire night again. Dana made sure Max wouldn't be approached by any skeevy guys; there were quite a few gathering around the two during the concert.

In the end, Max remembered being hauled to Dana's car and brought back to Blackwell, giggling uncontrollably like an idiot.

The next morning sucked.

* * *

"...MADHOUSE!"

Max cheered with the rest of the crowd in the mosh as the band made their appearance.

She was attending her fifth concert. The music was really, really growing on her - and perhaps it was just Chloe's voice, but Max found herself mesmerised every time she heard them.

Her outfit had also slightly changed. She acquired some Madhouse merch - a black hoodie with their logo printed on the back. She wanted to blend in more, didn't want Chloe to spot her like she did last time. Max was still afraid that she'd recognised her, but so far nothing pointed to that.

When the guitars broke into a riff and the drums followed, Max snapped her eyes back up to the stage. This was a new song - she didn't recognise it from their previous concerts.

Chloe stepped forward and pressed her mouth against the microphone. _"_ _I have walked this world and back now, too many times to count or stop, how?"_ she sang. _"Time is nothing, slow and focused, I stalk this land with just one purpose."_

As the crowd cheered on and began their usual rhythm, Max joined, but not once did she take her eyes off Chloe.

 _"A deal made the second that you choose to force my will, an extension of my hand with the intent to kill, by the white lightning…"_

Max found herself moving forwards without much thought, now closer to the stage than ever before.

 _"You always have the chance to do the right thing, until the right thing comes undone,"_ Chloe sang, looking around the crowds.

Moments later Max met her gaze.

They both froze.

Chloe nearly lost the song as she opened her eyes wide and left her jaw agape.

Max cowered and started backing out.

Raising her hand towards her, Chloe pointed a finger at Max.

 _"...and with a thunderclap I'm breathing lightning, and this world has moved on."_

Nobody really cared who she was pointing at, they were far too lost in the music to notice.

Max turned around and quickly made her way for the bar.

 _Well, shit. Great job, Blackwell ninja._

* * *

Sulking a bit at the sudden turn of events, Max ordered herself a beer. Maybe two. She sat at the bar for an hour or so, tracing patterns on the counter with one hand and pushing away unwanted advances from other patrons with the other. The bartenders watchful gaze kept most of them away - his name was Derrick, a friend of Dana's.

"You okay?" he asked after things had calmed down and he had a moment. "Anything bad happen?"

"No, no," Max replied and shook her head. She sipped her beer, winced as usual and looked towards the mosh. "Just waiting for somebody."

"Oh, right." Derrick started wiping down the bar, occasionally shooting glances around Max.

It was roughly a few minutes later that Madhouse finished their gig.

Max gulped down the rest of her beer and prepared herself for something she should've been prepared for weeks in advance. She nervously ran her hand through her hair, tapped her fingers against the bar, swayed a bit, distracted herself-

"Max Caulfield, as I live and breathe."

There it was.

Max cast a nervous side glance to the blue-haired punk that sat beside her, eyes boring into the side of her head.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my best friend - sorry, _ex-best friend_ \- after 5 fucking years?" Chloe asked and gestured towards Derrick for a beer. "Seattle art-holes become boring?"

"Chloe-"

"Max, you fucking left me right after my dad died," Chloe spoke over her, a very heavy hint of anger in her voice. "Do you know how much that fucked me up? Do you know what you did to me?"

"Chloe, I didn't-"

"5-fucking-years, Caulfield. Not a call, a text, a letter - _a fucking peep!_ \- from you in that entire time. Why?" Chloe asked and finally took a breath. She gritted her teeth as she stared at Max. "Why, Max?"

"Chloe, I'm sorry-"

"I don't care if you're sorry. I was asking you a question." Chloe nodded towards Derrick as he handed over a beer. She promptly opened it and took a big gulp. "Well?"

"I was a chickenshit, okay?" Max gathered up the courage to say. "I thought you would've hated me after leaving. I heard what you said to me on the day - you told me to go and die. Chloe, that hurt-"

"Yeah, you know what else fucking hurt? Having my best friend abandon me when I needed her the most-"

"Chloe, you didn't make the effort to call or text me either!" Max exclaimed and finally turned to face her. "You didn't send letters, you didn't make any fucking effort to contact me! I… I was never like you, I was never brave nor confident. I was scared you wouldn't talk to me after… after I left," she finished with a mumble. "I was scared you'd hate me forever."

Chloe stared at her. Eventually she smirked and took a sip of her beer. "Right."

"It's fucking true-"

"I know Max, jeez, calm down." Chloe put her beer down and looked over Max's outfit. "I've seen you two weeks ago, you know."

"You did?" Max asked in surprise as she tried to remember.

"Maybe three. I saw a girl in a hoodie like yours, minus our logo." Chloe gestured at Max's outfit. "You were dancing with another cutie. What was her name? She your girlfriend?"

"I- what?" Max raised her eyebrows in genuine shock. "Girlfriend? What, no! That was Dana, she's my friend from Blackwell-"

"Friend. Riiight…" Chloe flashed a dangerous smirk and gave Max an obvious once-over yet again. "Blackwell? How long have you been in Arcadia, Max?"

Max dropped her head and mumbled out her answer, "Two months."

"Two-fucking-months," Chloe repeated, yet again the hint of anger in her voice. "Two-fucking-months and only now you decide to talk to me? Thanks, Max."

"Jesus, Chloe, were you not fucking listening-"

"Oh no, I listened." Chloe sipped from her beer again and slammed the bottle down. "Sorry, I just expected that my best friend - sorry again, _ex-best friend_ \- would have contacted me sooner. Would've been nice, y'know Caulfield?"

"Fuck this," Max threw up her hands and started to get up from the bar in anger.

Chloe's face immediately faltered as she saw Max leaving. "Hey, wait!" she shouted and shot out her hand, grasping at Max's forearm and keeping her still. "Listen… I'm sorry, okay? I might've acted like an asshole-"

"You did act like an asshole, Chloe." Max turned back towards her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you think this was easy for me? Do you think I didn't want to talk to you since the first time I saw you up there, on that stage?"

"When?" Chloe raised her eyebrows.

"Five, maybe six weeks ago. Dana took me here, I've been coming back weekly since. I… I wanted to talk to you but…"

Chloe went silent and dropped her eyes to the floor.

"The world doesn't just… revolve around you, okay? I had my own shit to deal with in Seattle." Max grunted and sat herself back down on the bar stool. "It wasn't just pretty flowers and rainbows over there for me. I didn't have any friends until like three years ago. I didn't know anyone when I moved there, okay? I was the freak of the entire school. Do you know what that feels like, Chloe? To be constantly singled out, made fun of?"

Clutching the neck of her beer bottle harder, Chloe nodded slightly. "I do."

Max stopped and took a breath. "Then you know that it wasn't easy for me either. I didn't want to move to fuck you over, Chloe. I was 13 years old - I couldn't stop my parents from moving us."

Chloe kept silent.

"I'm sorry for everything, Chloe," Max mumbled and looked away.

"Max, I'm-"

"Heeyy, baby-"

"Rach-"

Max felt her heart shrivel as she saw the blonde - Rachel - clamp her arms around Chloe's neck and press a kiss against her lips. She gulped and looked away quickly, her cheeks aflame with a blush.

Moments later she heard a giggle again and cast a sideways glance at the two, chest aching as she saw Chloe kissing back.

 _Uhm-_

"I'm tired baby," Rachel murmured and placed her head against Chloe's. "Can we go home?"

Chloe looked at Max with an apologetic smile. "Sure we can."

Rachel smiled and completely ignored Max, keeping her face nuzzled against the side of Chloe's head.

"Just give me a sec," Chloe said and grabbed a napkin from the bar, finding a pen nearby.

Max watched as she scribbled something down and promptly pushed it towards her.

"Give me a call, Caulfield. Let's continue this soon, yeah?" Chloe smiled and stood up from her chair, draping an arm across Rachel's shoulder. "Let's go home babe."

"Mhm," Rachel hummed and swayed slightly as Chloe led her towards the exit.

Max watched as Rachel slipped her hand down Chloe's back and rested it dangerously close to her ass. She had the urge to get up and-

"You okay? That was pretty heated," Derrick spoke as he finally approached. "You know Chloe?"

Looking at him, she nodded quietly. "Yeah. Sorry, I gotta go-"

"Need me to give you a ride?" he asked. "Place is closing up soon, nobody is gonna order drinks anymore."

"No, I'm fine. Thanks anyway."

Max handed over some bills for her beers, grabbed Chloe's napkin, pulled up her hoodie and quickly left.


	3. Rekindle

**Max:** uh

 **Max:** so hi

 **Chloe:** finally she speaks

 **Chloe:** messages, w/e

 **Chloe:** also i said call, not text

 **Max:** sorry busy week at blackwell

 **Max:** do you want to meet up?

 **Max:** to talk and stuff

 **Chloe:** define talk

 **Max:** chloe don't make this harder than it already is

 **Max:** please?

 **Max:** i just want to get to know you again

 **Max:** ik i've been a shitty friend

 **Max:** just give me a chance?

 **Max:** plus you told me to contact you

 **Chloe:** touche

 **Chloe:** sure

 **Chloe:** i dont have anything else to do rn anyway

 **Max:** two whales?

 **Max:** breakfast on me

 **Chloe:** 15 mins

 **Chloe:** dont be late or u will blow ur chance

* * *

Max was sat in the Two Whales in less than 10 minutes since Chloe's last message. She was already prepared to meet Chloe, a part of her 100% confident that her once best friend wouldn't decline the invitation - especially if food was involved - and as such she was well on her way into Arcadia during their text conversation, having caught the early Blackwell bus into town.

Sitting anxiously, she looked around the relatively homely diner. There were a few patrons: truckers, teens, a police officer, some strange lady off in the far corner. Max smiled when she spotted the jukebox nearby, still playing the same old tune she remembered listening to years ago. It felt like home. It _was_ home in a way.

Mentally she scolded herself for not having visited sooner. 2 months in Arcadia Bay and she hadn't even tasted Joyce's renowned pancakes, nor her belgian waffle or her bacon omelette even. It was truly a tragic state of affairs, though Max was a bit… hesitant to meet Joyce again. Sure, she loved her like a second mother and the woman in turn loved her like a second daughter, but that was 5 years ago.

A lot of things changed in 5 years. Especially Chloe.

She still wasn't sure how to approach the topic of her leaving for Seattle and-

"Do my eyes deceive me, Max Caulfield?"

Max immediately smiled as for a second her memory was flooded with familiar scenes of the Price household upon hearing that southern drawl. She turned her head sideways and looked up at Joyce.

Unlike Chloe, Joyce hadn't changed all that much. She still wore her hair in a ponytail, still smiled as bright as ever and still worked in the Two Whales. Max couldn't fail to notice that she now wore a new ring on her hand however.

"Hey Joyce. It's lovely to see you again after all these years," Max said as watched Joyce fill up a coffee mug and place it down in front of her. "You look the same."

"Like I'm still a waitress at the Two Whales after all these years?" Joyce asked with a smirk.

"No, as in you're still pretty," Max quickly added in and smiled ever wider.

"Nice save kid," Joyce wagged a finger playfully at Max. Looking her over, she shook her head slightly. "Look at you - you've turned into a lovely young woman."

Max bobbed her head and looked away briefly. "Listen Joyce, I'm sorry for… not calling and keeping in contact. I knew how hard it was for you and Chloe after… William passed," she said, grimacing slightly. "I'm guilty."

"It's okay Max," Joyce told her as she sat down opposite, still smiling wide. "You did the right thing - you moved on with your life. I did too, after William passed. Chloe…" she stopped herself to take a breath, "Chloe chose to stay angry."

"She's changed," Max pointed out as she sipped on her coffee. "I… I met her a few days ago."

"It's all because of that Rachel girl," Joyce spoke and shook her head. "She's been a bad influence on Chloe for as long as I can remember, always gettin' her up to no good. She's partially the reason why they kicked her out of Blackwell."

Max opened her eyes slightly wider at the revelation. "Oh," was all she could muster, quickly taking another sip of coffee.

"How was she?" Joyce couldn't help but ask, leaning forward slightly. "I haven't spoken to her in… a few weeks."

"Oh," Max repeated, her mind already working over what could've happened between Chloe and Joyce to steer them so drastically apart. "She… looked fine? I'm not sure, I don't have anything really to compare it to, sorry."

"Was Rachel with her?" Joyce continued.

"Ah… y-yes? I saw her twice, both times she was with Chloe," Max replied, unsure what to think of the sudden questions from Joyce. Just how much was Rachel responsible for Chloe changing so much?

Joyce shook her head but after a moment she smiled. "Sorry for the interrogation Max, it's just… hard seeing what's been happening to Chloe since Rachel done an' cropped up in her life."

Max took another drink and then took a leap. "So I take it Rachel hasn't been the… greatest influence on Chloe?" she inquired with an inquisitive look.

"Not at all," Joyce shook her head, "first it was her wardrobe, then cigarettes and drugs, then her hair, then the tattoos… the list goes on."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Max apologised, not sure what for - perhaps hoping it'd bring some light into the situation.

"You've nothing to apologize for Max," Joyce said and smiled, "it's Chloe's choice to do all those things and I can't stop her no more. Maybe… maybe now that you're back you can be a good influence on her again, maybe get rid of that Amber girl." Joyce stood up and looked around the diner quickly.

Max wasn't sure just how successful she'd be.

"Anyway, what'll you be having?" Joyce asked and grabbed the pot of coffee from the table, looking down at Max. "Bacon Omelette, Belgian Waffles or pancakes?"

Scrunching up her face in thought, Max went over the choices in her head. It was a tough choice - all the dishes were equally delicious and filling, but she had a slight sweet tooth so… "I'll have some of your Belgian Waffles," she replied and smiled. "I've missed them," she admitted.

"One plate of Belgian Waffles comin' right up."

Max smiled as Joyce made her way back around the counter and disappeared into the kitchen. She looked around the diner and saw that a few patrons left, a few entered - seemed like Two Whales still had quite the traffic after all the years.

Though what Joyce said about Rachel and Chloe… that worried Max. Seemed like there was more to Rachel than met the eye.

Just then the diner bell rang, signifying the arrival of a new customer. A blue-haired, leather jacket wearing customer with a mischievous twinkle in her eye; sauntering past everyone towards Max.

"Max," she simply said as she jumped into the opposite seat in the booth. Looking at her for a few seconds, she smirked. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Max opened her mouth and flapped it uselessly for a few seconds. _Shit,_ she thought, _what_ are _we supposed to talk about?_ "Uh…"

"Lost for words?" Chloe asked and looked out the window. "No apologies, no excuses as to why you didn't call? Nothing? No? Nada-"

"Chloe," Max raised her voice slightly, interrupting. "I already apologised. I already told you why I didn't call, text, email, send letter or - _f-fuck -_ whatever else you wanted me to do!"

Chloe sat silently at Max's sudden outburst.

"I was getting over the fact you told me to go die, okay? That's… that's _not_ okay, Chloe. What you said hurt me. We were best friends for years, and suddenly you told me to go and die because I was forced to move because of something out of my control. I-"

"Sorry," Chloe interrupted this time. "I guess… I didn't think things through. I had 5 years to do it but I just... Rachel came in and... she's…" she struggled and then shrugged. "I don't know Max. A part of me hoped you'd call, but I guess you were be too chickenshit to do that, right?"

Max couldn't help but snort. "Yeah. I said that already, but you're right. I was scared."

"Right." Chloe drummed her fingers against the linoleum table. "I never hated you, okay?"

Max nodded.

"I was just hoping… that you'd call. That we wouldn't drift apart. Then after a few months of radio silence… I gave up. Then Rachel came into my life and I just… forgot all about you," she mumbled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, that last part was a lie. I didn't actually forget about you, I just… had some bad thoughts about you. Thought you were living the high life in Seattle with all your artsy, hipster friends whilst miserable Chloe lived in Shittown, Oregon. I guess things weren't like that, right?"

"Not at all," Max admitted and closed her eyes.

"So…"

Max shrugged and looked back up at Chloe. "I want to be friends with you again Chloe. How about we… start over again?"

Chloe held a neutral expression for a brief moment. "Let's start over," she agreed and smiled.

Feeling like the entire weight of the world - 5 years worth of guilt - dropped off her shoulders, Max let out a breath of relief. "Thank you," she mumbled and looked at Chloe again, "it means a lot to me… I don't have a lot of friends and you were always my best one, so-"

"One thing though," Chloe interrupted and pointed a finger at her. "Best friends? You have to earn that again Max, you can't just… expect us to be buddy-buddy BFFs straight away, okay?"

Max waited a second and then nodded. "Okay."

Chloe smirked and then slapped both her hands down onto the table. "Now! Let's cut the mushy-mushy reunion crap and-"

"Chloe."

Max looked sideways and spotted Joyce with her plate of waffles standing still, staring at her daughter. Looking between the two, she noticed the almost visible tension between them. _Uh-oh._

"Joyce," Chloe replied and kept staring at her, though her expression seemed angry.

Joyce looked more disappointed than anything. Snapping out of it, she placed the plate down in front of Max. "Enjoy darlin'," she said and looked back at Chloe. "What'll you be having?" she asked, "and it's not going on your damn tab again," she quickly added in.

"That's okay!" Max quickly interrupted, bringing both their gazes towards her; she felt like she'd be melted alive when the heat struck her cheeks. "I'm… I'm paying today. My treat for Chloe."

Chloe smirked and looked back up at Joyce.

"Well," Joyce said and looked back at Chloe. "Maybe there's hope yet-"

Chloe's smirk faltered immediately as she stood up. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Max froze, mouth open as she stared between the two. Chloe's raised voice was enough to bring attention to their booth, causing Max to sink slightly into her seat. _What the fuck is going on anymore?_

Joyce kept silent, staring at Chloe. "You know exactly what it means Chloe," she said. "Now if you want to eat and not get kicked out for causin' a ruckus, sit down," Joyce finished, turning around and walking back into the kitchen.

Tension immediately trained as the few heads looking at them turned away. Chloe kept staring at the door where Joyce disappeared moments ago.

"Chloe," Max mumbled and looked up at her, reaching for her hand.

Chloe immediately pulled away, piercing her eyes at Max.

Max sunk in her place.

 _Fuck._

Noticing Max retreating into herself, Chloe quickly softened up and dropped down in her seat. "Sorry," she mumbled out an apology. "Things… aren't the greatest between me and Joyce."

"Yeah."

The two of them kept quiet until Joyce came back with Chloe's food. Neither of them looked at one another. Max ate her Belgian Waffle, mind racing through everything she had heard and seen so far. It was a bit too much for her to be honest, but she did her best to not let it get to her.

"Finished?" Chloe asked once they had both had their fill. "C'mon, I'll show you my place."

Max nodded, quickly leaving some money - _and a sizeable tip_ \- on the table. By the time she was finished, Chloe was already well on her way to the parked truck in the corner of the car park.

* * *

Sputtering to a halt, Chloe killed the engine and took her keys out.

Max looked around - they were in some old, industrial area of the town. Mostly a few abandoned warehouses and run-down buildings dotted either side of the street. There were a few cars parked nearby outside a refurbished-looking building.

"We're here," Chloe said and jumped out, stretching her limbs. "Ain't a fucking 5-star pad or anything, but it works for me and Rach."

"Mhm," Max hummed and followed Chloe.

Taking the rickety, rusted stairs on the side of the building, they arrived on the second floor. Entering the building, they were met with a choice of doors on either side of the hallway. Chloe immediately made her way to the closest door on their right, jangling her keys.

"Here," she said and opened the door wide, stepping inside and inviting Max. "C'mon hippie."

Max followed. She stepped as soon as she took a few steps inside.

It wasn't pretty. Discarded clothes, boots, magazines and various other bits and bobs were strewn all over. To the left was a small kitchen, cluttered with bottles of liquor, water and beer. Straight ahead a doorway was covered with a curtain of sorts, the bottom part was caught on something on the side - it allowed Max to get a peek of what awaited inside. It was a large mattress on the floor, and when she squinted hard enough she nearly gasped. _Were those sex toys?_

"Home-shit-home," Chloe mumbled and closed the door, walking past Max. "Mi casa su casa or whatever," she continued and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a fresh beer bottle from the fridge.

"Uh."

"Told you it wasn't pretty," Chloe said and made her way towards Max. Spotting the girl looking towards the living room across from the kitchen, she followed her gaze.

Rachel was lying on the couch, the coffee table filled with various bottles of beer and some harder spirits. A small weed baggie was emptied beside an ashtray filled with cigarette butts and joint roaches.

"Fuckin' Christ," Chloe sighed and made her way over, placing her beer down on the coffee table. "Rach?" she asked as she reached over and cupped her chin. "Raaaach, hello?"

"Mmh," Rachel slurred and pushed Chloe's hand away. "Goway bitch."

Chloe dropped her head and let go of Rachel's chin. She grabbed her beer, turned towards Max and made her way over. "C'mon, let's roll."

"Uh?" Max looked at Rachel again, one hand already creeping up to her elbow. This… wasn't okay. None of this was okay to Max.

"Come the fuck on," Chloe repeated and grabbed Max's forearm, starting to drag her towards the door until she followed willingly. "Leave her, s'fine."

"Chloe, are you-"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure Max," Chloe interrupted as they made their way back down the stairs outside. "Not the first time she's knocked the fuck up."

Max gulped and kept quiet.

"Sorry about that though," Chloe continued, her voice softer than before. "I wouldn't have taken you there if I knew."

"Is this like… a regular thing?" Max asked quietly as they jumped back inside the truck. "Sorry, I-"

"Yeah, it's regular," Chloe answered unwavered. "I do it sometimes too. When the world is too much, you just gotta relax and hit all the shit you know?" she continued, pulling the truck back onto the road. "Drugs, booze, sex - stress relievers or whatever. It helps. Helped a lot since dad died and you abandoned me."

Max kept quiet again, nibbling on her bottom lip.

This Chloe was much, _much_ more different than she remembered.

* * *

"So, throwback, huh?"

Max giggled as she sat down beside Chloe on the bench, the lighthouse just beside them and a complete view of Arcadia before them. "You could say that, yeah."

Chloe chuckled herself and finished off her beer, placing the bottle down beside the bench. "Sorry about the whole Rachel thing again."

"It's fine," Max lied and looked at Arcadia. "Damn it, I knew I forgot something!"

"Huh?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"My camera," Max continued and shook her head. "I'd love to take a shot up here, it's been so long…"

"Hmph," Chloe scoffed and chuckled to herself. "Figures. Hippie."

"Hey!" Max playfully swatted at Chloe's arm.

"I bet you still use that old-as-fuck camera, right?" Chloe joked.

Max nodded. "Actually, I do."

Chloe stopped laughing. "You're not lying, are you?" she asked and then burst out laughing again. "Holy shit!"

"Hey!" Max repeated and swatted her again. "I like instant photography, it's different than all the digital stuff. Feels more real, I don't know."

"Max Caulfield, never change," Chloe said once she'd stopped laughing. "Such a hippie, can't say I'm surprised that Seattle didn't change you."

"Bite me," Max chuckled and stuck out her tongue.

Chloe wiggled her eyebrows. "I'd love to Caulfield, but I have a girlfriend already."

Max blushed and looked away.

"Dude, you're so awkward - it's great!" Chloe laughed again. "Oh man. Oooh man..."

"What's up?" Max asked and looked back at her, confident that her blush was sufficiently gone already.

"Just…" Chloe mumbled and moved forward, leaning over her knees. "It's been a while since I laughed so hard. Dunno. Guess I was just missing you," she said and shrugged. "You were gone for five years and now that you're back… feels like a dream or something."

Max smiled. "I'm glad we're friends again. I missed you too."

Chloe nodded and raised her head, looking at Arcadia. "You know, when you left… I cried a lot," she murmured and momentarily gave Max a sideways glance. "I didn't mean what I said, okay? I was… angry, lost, f-fucked up. My dad just died and here you were, telling me you were leaving me when I needed you. I snapped and… I'm sorry."

Keeping silent, Max looked at the town herself. "I'm sorry for not calling, not keeping contact."

"Yeah," Chloe breathed out and stood up, procuring a cigarette from her jacket which she promptly sparked up. "Guess we both suck, huh?"

Max laughed and bobbed her head. "I guess we both do," she whispered and bit the bottom of her lip. "Chloe? Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"I don't know if I'm being nosy or not, so just ignore me if you don't want to answer but…" she stopped and bit her lip again, her fingers absently playing with the zipper of her hoodie. "You and Rachel-"

Cut short, her sentence was interrupted by Chloe's phone buzzing and playing some heavy punk piece.

"Hey," she said as she brought the phone to her ear, taking a drag of her cigarette. "W'sup baby?"

Max kept quiet, shuffling in her seat as she looked way.

 _Of-fucking-course_ Rachel interrupted them again.

"Yeah, I'm good," Chloe continued and looked at Max briefly. "Nothing, just hanging out with Max. Yes, _that_ Max-"

 _That Max?_

"S'fine babe, serious-," she continued but was interrupted. "I-," she started again but was interrupted. "No, Rach, seriously-," again, interrupted. "Fine. I'll see you soon, m'kay?"

Max watched as Chloe shook her head, pulled on her cigarette again and then threw it over the cliff edge.

"Sorry," she said as she approached and put her phone away. "Rachel is being needy and wants be back home. Girlfriends, huh?"

"Yeah," Max numbly replied.

"Want me to drop you off at Blackhell?" Chloe asked. "It'll only be like 5 minutes-"

"It's fine," Max interrupted this time. "I'll take the bus, I want to hang out here for a bit."

Chloe waited, and waited, and waited. Then she nodded. "Okay, suit yourself," she mumbled and shrugged, turning towards the path. "Uh, are you… gonna be around for the next Madhouse gig? This weekend?"

Max thought it over. "Yeah, for sure," she said more happily this time, looking up at Chloe. "Wouldn't miss you guys, you rock."

"Glad you like us that much," Chloe snickered and brushed her fingers through her hair. "I'll see you then, maybe we'll talk before - who knows, huh?"

"Mhm," Max nodded. "Take care."

"You too, Maxaroni," Chloe replied and then sauntered away down the path.

Max waited until she was past the trees. Then she waited a bit more until she heard the door being slammed at the bottom, in the car park. Then she waited until she heard the rusted, decades old V8 roar to life and dissipate in the distance.

Once it was gone, her hands immediately shot up to her temples and rubbed at them - her mind working to piece everything she had heard today together. It was a lot to take in.

 _Joyce and Chloe… Chloe and Rachel… Rachel, booze, drugs, sex and whatever the fuck else… Wow._

Max groaned and fell back against the bench.

Holy fuck, just what was she getting herself into?

* * *

 **A/N:**

Sorry for lack of updates, life is kickin' ass and I've generally not been in a writing mood lately.

BUT I'm writing out a few chapters for multiple fics right now in hopes of creating a buffer for times like these so I don't leave y'all hanging, hopefully there'll be some more content from me soon.

Hope you enjoyed!  
\- :) WinTTY


	4. Delirium

**A/N:**

Song(s) used in this chapter:

Green Day - Brain Stew

* * *

Max kept her promise and attended the next Madhouse gig.

As usual, she wore her black hoodie, grey shirt and torn jeans (again borrowed from Dana). It was probably the most fitting attire she had for these events, all other clothes owned by her were simple tee's and jeans - all of them in light, happy colours that just _didn't_ fit in with the entire scene she was attending regularly now.

She was amongst the first few people that trickled in just to see Madhouse. Dana wasn't with her this time, too busy with homework and cheerleading practice. Though Max didn't really believe the cheerleading practice excuse. Who practiced cheerleading at 10PM on a Saturday?

Then her mind quickly started to put things together. Lately she'd been seeing one of the skaters around the dorms, Trevor, and he was always awfully close to-

"Max!"

Upon hearing her name, Max spun around and looked at the source. She quickly smiled when she spotted Chloe approaching.

"You actually came. Colour me impressed," Chloe said as she playfully punched Max's shoulder.

Max shook her head and retorted with a light shove. "Told you that I wouldn't miss a gig."

"Hmm," Chloe hummed back thoughtfully. Looking over Max's attire, her smirk grew wider. "Are you sure this is you, Max? Black hoodie, torn jeans? Thought you were more into skinny jeans, scarves and whatever else hipsters wear."

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed and shook her head again. "You know that I don't dress like that!"

Chloe nodded and threw up her hands in surrender. "You're right. Still… I'd have thought Seattle would have changed your style, guess I was wrong though."

Holding up a goofy smile, Max couldn't help but feel a flutter of butterflies in her stomach as Chloe and her just stared. She opened her mouth to speak-

"Chloe!"

Whirling around in her place, Chloe faced the source of the voice. Max couldn't help but notice a certain degree of… _something_ in her eyes as her smirk dropped. Perhaps fear? Anxiety?

"Rach!" Chloe called back out and stepped away from Max quickly. She noticed it, but didn't think too much into it. "W'sup babe?"

Rachel strolled up between Max and Chloe, completely blanking the fact that the brunette existed. She didn't even give her a sideways glance, nothing, as she simply positioned herself between the two of them.

"Oh," Max murmured to nobody in particular as she stepped back to make space for Rachel. She looked over her shoulder, noticing the blue-feather earring hanging from one ear, though she focused herself on Chloe.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, low and almost demanding. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck, pulling her down slightly.

"Oh, I was just talking to-"

"C'mon, we need to get prepped for the gig," she continued over Chloe, completely ignoring what she was just saying.

Chloe simply opened her mouth a few times, flapping it uselessly like some fish out of the water. Peering over her girlfriend's shoulder, she glanced at Max briefly and then looked back down to Rachel. "R-right," she mumbled out and turned them towards the back room.

Max watched as they walked away. Momentarily, Chloe looked over her shoulder and silently gestured Max that she'll text or call later. When they disappeared into the back room, she spun back around on her stool towards the bar.

"Usual?" Derrick, the bartender, asked as he approached after having finished with another client.

It took her a second to process what he was asking, but Max shook her head. "Uhm. No thanks."

* * *

When Madhouse finally took the stage, Max was already in her usual place at the far back of the crowd. She bobbed her head at the first few songs, tried to let herself loose for another couple, but there was this nagging at the back of the head, something scratching her, warning her that what she witnessed was wrong.

Max hadn't ever been in a relationship, therefore she didn't really have any experience in what's to be expected when in one. But she was pretty fucking sure what Rachel did was not okay. _It couldn't be, right?_ Over and over she asked herself the question.

Then eventually, a particular song caught her attention.

It started slow and heavy.

Chloe stepped up to the mic after the first few seconds, pulled her mouth up real close against it and started to mumble out the lyrics.

 _"I'm having trouble trying to sleep,"_ she murmured, _"I'm counting sheep but running out."_ Bobbing her head, she continued to play her heavy riff. _"As time ticks by, and still I try, no rest for crosstops in my mind."_

Taking a second for a breather, she pressed her mouth against the mic again as the drums suddenly joined her. _"On my own, here we go."_

Now with the drums playing a beat in tandem with her own guitar, Chloe stepped back for a few seconds and showed off. She laughed as she looked out over the venue before she was once again right up against her mic.

 _"My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed, dried up and bulging out of my skull,"_ she growled, smiling at the crowd cheering her on. _"My mouth is dry, my face is numb, fucked up and spun out in my room."_

 _"On my own, here we go."_

* * *

At some point later, Max was finally relaxed. She was letting herself dance along to whatever song Madhouse played, allowed her body to fall in rhythm with the various riffs and beats that she'd heard.

At some point later, she watched as Rachel stepped forward whilst still playing on guitar, she watched as she sang something together with Chloe, she watched as they both laughed and giggled about it afterwards.

At some point later, Max watched as Rachel and Chloe kissed on stage mid-song, drawing cheers and wolf-whistles from the crowd. Her stomach did a flip, a nauseous feeling suddenly crushing her, her heart pounding against her chest.

At some point later, Max left.

* * *

 **Chloe:** dude whr r u?

 **Chloe:** i was gonna introduce u to the band

 **Chloe:** dude?

 **Chloe:** helloooooo

 **Max:** sorry i left

 **Chloe:** y tho

 **Max:** felt sick

 **Max:** sry

 **Chloe:** kk

 **Chloe:** get better gurl

 **Chloe:** i dont want u missin next weekend yhear

 **Max:** kk

* * *

Every day for the following week, Max woke up feeling angry at herself. Just _why_ did she suddenly chicken out of the concert? She'd seen them plenty of times before already, but just… she couldn't quite stomach what she saw. It wasn't Chloe's fault, nor Rachel's, nor anyone else's but her.

For whatever reason, Max felt _jealous_ when she witnessed what she did. Perhaps because she never had what Chloe had at that moment. Perhaps because her stupid childhood crush was resurfacing again.

No. That'd be idiotic, she got over that nearly… a couple months ago... just a tad bit before she came to Blackwell...

"Ugh," she groaned into her pillow. "Why, why, why, why-"

Her skeleton nearly jumped out of her skin when somebody knocked on her door. It was a Friday afternoon, just minutes after her last lesson - Photography of all subjects - and she didn't expect any visitors. Except maybe Kate, because Kate always visited.

"Max?" she'd heard somebody ask, their voice muffled but quite recognisable. It was Dana.

Max jumped up from her bed, threw her pillow back down and quickly brushed herself up. "Dana?" she said as she opened the door. Indeed it was her and indeed she was looking as perfect as usual.

"Hey there pretend girlfriend," Dana teased and flashed a smirk at Max. "Are you like… hibernating or something? I haven't seen you out of your room for a whole week."

Dana was partially correct. Her and Max didn't share classes so they never really saw each other, and now that Dana had a skater boyfriend she nearly _never_ stuck around the dorms until much later when Max was already wallowing in her own room.

"I've been out of my room," Max pouted quietly and crossed her arms. "Just… we have different schedules and things… I guess."

As the corner of her lip tugged even further, Dana put her own hands on her hips. "Right." Looking down the hallway, she leaned in a bit closer. "You've been going to see Madhouse every weekend."

Max raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Max, Max, Max… Juliet is my best friend, remember?"

Max pouted again. Figures that Juliet would spy on her just like she spies on everyone else.

"I'm kidding. Derrick has been messaging me," Dana confessed and gave the hallway another sideways glance. "You've really taken a liking to Madhouse, huh?"

"I guess," Max admitted quietly. It was a half-truth.

"You've _really_ taken a liking to Chloe Price."

"I guess," Max repeated on instinct. In an instant afterwards, she recoiled. "No!"

Dana laughed and crossed her arms, giving Max a knowing look - one that pierced right through her desperate, last second defence (even though it was barely a defence to begin with).

"I guess," Max mumbled out again. Dropping her eyes to the floor, she swore to herself to maybe clean her sneakers once a week or something. They were really, really muddy-

"Me and Trevor are going to see them tomorrow. I've been wondering if you'd like to tag along?" Dana asked and kept her eyes trained on Max.

"Oh." Max shuffled in her place and thought about it. She knew it'd feel awkward to be third wheeling most of the night, but… perhaps she'd be able to avoid Chloe that way? Not that she _wanted_ to, but she _kinda wanted_ to… it was complicated. If anything, she could just ignore Dana and Trevor whilst they were doing… whatever it is they planned on doing. They wouldn't mind.

"We're not like gonna make it awkward or anything for you Max." Dana put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, maintaining her warm smile. "I promise. Just pleaaase?"

Max pouted again and threw her head up, staring at the ceiling. "...okay."

"Awesome!" Dana exclaimed and pulled Max into a spontaneous hug. Max didn't object, except stood awkwardly like some kinda plank whilst Dana squeezed her tight. "I promise you won't feel like a third wheel!"

"Mhm. Okay."

"Besides," she leaned in after releasing Max and smirked, "you're gonna see Chloe. I doubt you'll even pay attention to us."

"Go!" Max groaned and pushed Dana back over the threshold of her room. "Go back to your room!"

Dana's laugh echoed down the halls after Max shut the door behind her.

Grabbing her pillow, Max stuffed her face into it and screamed.

She was hoping to try and avoid this week's show by faking a sickness or something. Chloe _probably_ wouldn't be that suspicious of it. It'd give Max some time to think things through again, try and get rid of that stupid, nonsensical childhood crush she still held for Chloe. Why would Chloe even want to reciprocate _any_ kind of feelings for Max, especially after what she'd done for the past 5 years?

Max fell back onto her bed and fell asleep after a few minutes.

* * *

Doing her best to remain small, Max kept behind Dana and Trevor most of the night out. She danced a bit, even drank about half a bottle of beer before she had to give up - it was making her nauseous when mixed with everything she was still trying to sort out in her head (and chest) at the moment.

Even though she kept small and did her best to be ignored, Chloe somehow spotted her. She must have some sort of internal Max radar or something.

"Max!"

Max immediately sank lower in her place and tried to hide behind Dana. It didn't help though - Chloe simply outsmarted her and walked around them, raising an eyebrow at Max.

"Uh, dude?" Placing her hand on her shoulder, she squeezed it. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Hi." Max smiled and managed to face Chloe. Her heart was pounding but thankfully another band had taken the stage, drowning it out.

Chloe looked at Dana and then at Trevor. "Hey you two," she said and bumped fists with Trevor. "Long time no see, Trev."

"Yeah dude!" Trevor said and chuckled. "You and Rachel should hang with us again," he suggested.

"Uhm. Maybe soon, dunno," Chloe mumbled and rubbed the back of her head. "You must be Dana," she added and smiled towards the cheerleader.

"Yep! We talked maybe like… once or twice in Blackwell," Dana replied and smiled herself.

"We did?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Huh. Maybe we did. No wonder I kinda recognise you."

Dana giggled at that and took a sip from her beer.

Chloe looked towards the back room briefly and then glanced at Max again. "So, you wanna meet the band?"

Max thought it over. "Uhm. Maybe… maybe not today?" she mumbled and placed her hand on her elbow, comforting herself slightly. "I… I'm still kinda sick and… I'm hanging with Dana and Trevor, and uh…"

Dana shot Max a quizzical look over Chloe's shoulder.

Chloe frowned. "Oh," she simply said and dropped her eyes to the floor. "Right."

"Sorry," Max murmured and looked down to the floor herself.

"Uh. No worries dude!" Chloe said and shook her head. "S'fine, seriously. How about next week?"

Max shuffled on her feet and didn't answer.

Chloe simply stared at her, awaiting an answer.

Dana interjected. "She will."

Max looked up at Dana _immediately,_ her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull. _"I will?"_ she mouthed out in silence, thankful that Chloe was staring at Dana herself.

Giving Dana a silent look herself, Chloe eventually nodded. "Awesome. I, uh… I'll see you next week, Maxaroon," she said and smiled. She took a step closer, getting the urge to lean in and hug her. As quickly as she stepped forward, she stepped back and rubbed the back of her head.

"Mhm. I… I'll see you next week too," Max replied and smiled herself. She noticed Chloe's awkwardness.

Glancing at Dana and Trevor, she exchanged her goodbyes and left.

Dana immediately dragged Max towards her and raised her eyebrows. "Max, what's up?" she asked, voice coated with genuine concern for her friend. "You're not sick," she pointed out before Max could pull up that excuse.

"I… I gotta go," Max mumbled and moved back. "Sorry, just not feeling well right now."

"Max-"

"Later, Dana!" Max said and turned around, power walking away.

* * *

 **Dana:** max

 **Dana:** whats up

 **Max:** nothing

 **Dana:** max i had to cover for you back there

 **Dana:** why are you trying to avoid Chloe?

 **Max:** im not

 **Dana:** cmon

 **Dana:** you can talk to me

 **Max:** later

 **Dana:** you better

 **Dana:** my door is always open

 **Dana:** come by 2morrow?

 **Max:** …

 **Max:** okay

* * *

 **A/N:**

I TOOK FAR TOO LONG TO UPDATE THIS.

I'M ALSO TAKING FAR TOO LONG UPDATING OTHER STUFF.

I SWEAR I'M GONNA UPDATE STUFF SOON AGAIN DON'T WORRY OKAY.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

(MY CAPS IS BROKEN)

(I LIED I'M JUST LAZY AND DON'T WANT TO TURN IT OFF)

\- :) WinTTY


	5. Fashion Victim

"Maaaaaaax."

Max grumbled and quickly shoved a pillow over her head, hoping to the heavens that whoever was disturbing her sleep would leave quickly. Nobody disturbed her sleep, especially not after she'd stayed up into the early morning hours and debated her actions the previous night.

Oh yeah. That sucked, she just remembered.

There she went again, thinking about Chloe and the way Rachel treated her the week prior, questioning just how she could put up with somebody like that. What the hell did Chloe see in Rachel that she didn't see in-

"Max! I know you're in there!" Dana shouted and knocked harder on the door, clearly intending to get inside one way or another. If she knocked any harder, Max was sure she'd break down the door completely. "Open up!"

Max sighed. There was no winning against her.

"Max, please-"

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Max quickly exclaimed and pushed herself lazily off her bed, not bothering to get dressed. In fact, she didn't even need to - she didn't bother getting dressed for bed either, still wearing her unusually-punk-for-her clothes from the night prior.

This again sent her mind spiralling into that same goddamn mindset she'd found herself in for days on end and-

"Max, finally!" Dana exclaimed and almost pushed her way into Max's room - inviting herself in. "I was worried you somehow got blackout drunk on me after you left. That'd be no good."

"...you can come in," Max mumbled and closed the door, looking at Dana looking around her room before looking back at Max looking back at her, cocking her eyebrows. "What?"

Dana's lips tugged into a grin and she shook her head. "Nothing. Just… you didn't even bother changing your clothes after yesterday. Long night?" she asked and sat down cross-legged on Max's bed.

Max hummed and chuckled. "Something like that."

"Come, sit - let's talk," Dana spoke and patted a space opposite her. "Also don't try worming your way out of this Max - you _promised."_

"I kinda did, didn't I?" she admitted and sagged her shoulders, shuffling over. Sitting down opposite Dana, she dropped her chin into her hand and looked at her bedsheets. "So…"

"...so you're totally crushing on Chloe Price," Dana finished for her, looking directly at Max. "Don't try to defend yourself, please Max - I know, okay?" she added and chuckled. "You pretty much confirmed it yesterday."

"I… I did…?" she stuttered out, her face going red. "I guess I did, didn't I? Ugh."

"Hey, it's totally cool! I'd crush on a chick with blue hair, piercings and tats too if I was into girls hardcore," Dana admitted and whipped her ponytail back a bit. "Chloe is cool and all, but I'm concerned."

Max opened her eyes wide. "Concerned?" she repeated.

"You're stepping into dangerous territory Max," Dana whispered and leaned in a bit, taking her hand into her own. "Her girlfriend, Rachel? She's uh…" she trailed off.

"...uh…?"

"Not cool with other girls being near Chloe. Maybe you've noticed?" Dana asked and shrugged. "Uhm. Thing is, a few years ago there was this girl - Steph Gingrich. She was real cool, a DnD nerd that hung out with a few of the lesser known kids."

"Okay," Max bobbed her head, following along.

"She was pretty openly gay. Also, she was kinda hardcore crushing on Chloe," Dana mumbled and squeezed Max's hand again. "Rachel and Chloe weren't a… thing back then, so Steph went ahead and talked to Chloe a bit. Rachel caught wind of it and uh…"

"Dana, please."

"Well, let's go ahead and say that Rachel stirred up some _major_ drama," Dana whispered and shook her head. "Since Steph wasn't… that well established in Blackwell's social circles, Rachel… she uh… kinda crushed her completely. Destroyed her chances at Chloe."

Max dropped her mouth open a bit, not sure if she was hearing this right. Almost everyone she knew said that Rachel was a near angel when she was in Blackwell but… from her encounters with her so far, she didn't seem… all too friendly really…

"Yeah, uh… it broke Steph's heart," Dana finished and bobbed her head. "Poor girl. I… I kinda stayed clear of Rachel after that, she didn't seem so nice. Of course Vortex loved it, no surprise, but it was pretty well known after that who Chloe really belonged to. It didn't take long for the two to get together after it all."

"What happened to Steph?" Max asked curiously.

Dana herself wasn't sure. "Uhm. Well, rumour is that her father had to switch up jobs - he got some sweet gig with a movie making studio down in Cali or something, they had to move. Truthfully? I think she couldn't handle what happened and requested a transfer to another school out of Oregon, probably as far away from Rachel as possible. I don't blame her either."

"That's… wow," Max murmured and looked at her bedsheets, wide eyed.

It really was _wow._

"Yeah. That's why I'm worried about you - I don't want Rachel doing anything similar to you," Dana confessed quietly. "You may have better chances though - Vortex was a big part of why Rachel was able to crush Steph. Vortex and Rachel… don't have the greatest the greatest relationship anymore. In fact, they hate each other now."

"Oh." Max felt a bit better about that.

One-in-a-million is still a better chance than one-in-a-million-and-one, right? Because that's exactly what Max's chances at Chloe were at this point.

Rachel was a bombshell.

Max was… Max. Nerdy, freckled and awkward.

Yeah. No chance.

"I need you to be careful, okay?" Dana said and took Max's hand with both of hers, squeezing. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Max. You're my friend and I care for you. If you ever need help with anything, whether it be Chloe or Rachel or someone else, I'm right down the dorm hall from you."

"Uhm. Yeah. Okay." Max nodded her head, doing her best to smile and appear completely calm and collected because _she really wasn't inside._

Dana smiled wide, leaned forward and pulled Max into a long hug, gently rocking them. "Good. I'm gonna get going now because I have cheerleading practice, but I need you to remember what I said, okay?"

"Mhm," Max hummed in reply, standing up along with Dana and following her to the door. "I will. Thank you so much Dana."

"Take care, Max."

The moment she was out of sight - _the moment_ \- Max slammed her door shut and pressed her back against it, hands grasping below her eyes and pulling, trying so damn hard not to shout out in frustration, fear and just a random need to do so.

 _How the hell was she going to win against Rachel?_

* * *

 **Chloe:** nerd we're hanging out in an hour

 **Chloe:** you need new threads, you're a walking disaster

 **Chloe:** no offense obvs

 **Max:** hey!

 **Max** : totally offended, i worked hard on getting my new faux-punk look together for the mosh, shaka bra

 **Chloe:** WE'RE FIXING YOUR LANGUAGE TOO

 **Chloe:** ONE HOUR, BLACKWELL PARKING LOT

 **Chloe:** DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD UNTIL I GET THERE

* * *

Max was standing in the parking lot in _exactly_ an hour, wearing her usual things - some drab, gray hoodie slapped onto a pink shirt and coupled with washed out jeans. Also her sneakers, because it's literally all Max allowed herself to wear.

"Nerd!" Chloe called out as she pulled up seconds after Max sat down on the steps, forcing her to stand back up. "Stop lazing about, ass! Get in!" she called out and leaned open to open the door, gesturing Max inside.

Quickly jumping inside like she was told, Max smiled wide at her… friend? "Hi!" she exclaimed and awkwardly leaned in for a hug, almost immediately pulling back and cringing to death internally. She didn't want to become _too_ attached immediately.

"Hi yourself!" Chloe replied and smiled, quickly pulling her truck back around and out of the parking lot. Glancing at Max's attire, she shook her head. "See? This is what I mean. You're a disaster!"

"Hey!" Max called out and crossed her arms. "I'm comfortable in these clothes - I don't really care what I wear."

Chloe scoffed and shook her head, turning up the radio. "Of course you don't, buuut… you're my fan, therefore I need you to look good. Can't have all my fans look like they came from the 90's, can I?" she teased. "Though… that wouldn't be so bad, hot chicks do pull off that look nicely - case in point," she gestured at Max.

Max went a bit red. Did Chloe just flirt with her or was she reading into it too much? They were friends. She was just teasing. Chloe was always teasing. "Oh, shut up!" Max replied back and laughed, playfully shoving at Chloe's shoulder.

 _Remember, one-in-a-million chance, Max!_

* * *

Almost a whole 10 minutes later, Chloe was pulling the truck up outside some… rundown store. It certainly didn't look like a thrift store - nor a store at all. It's entrance was a black door, nothing else on it, however beside it there was a rather crudely written sign possibly saying 'SHOP INSIDE.'

Possibly.

Max couldn't really tell. "Uh. Is this where you shop for your clothes?" she mumbled as she jumped out of the truck and waited for Chloe.

Snorting in reply, Chloe nodded. "You know it sista. Me and Rachel get all our shit here, as do most of our fans. They even have our tees!" she exclaimed in excitement, skipping ahead of Max to the door. "Ladies first."

Rolling her eyes, Max stepped forward and-

"But _me_ just before," Chloe added and laughed, slipping inside first.

Max faked a scoff and crossed her arms, but reluctantly followed inside when Chloe pulled her puppy eyes. The same ones she used to pull on her… 5, perhaps 6 years ago when William was alive and everything was fine in their lives. Now it… wasn't. Not really.

"Dude, you okay?" Chloe asked when she saw Max floating off to god-knows-where in her mind. "You're not smokin' weed without me, right?"

Sputtering in reply, Max's eyes went wide. "W-what? Weed? No!" she exclaimed in defense. Max never smoked weed. Hell, Max never smoked. Nor drank. Nor attended parties. Did mosh-pit-type-concerts count as parties or were they a separate thing? They must've been a separate thing. That's what Max thought at least, but Chloe was probably a better person to ask on the subject.

So Max didn't ask because she knew that Chloe would find some way to rub her party-smoking-drinking-virginity in her face, or her virginity overall, but-

"Earth to Max. You're reeaaaaly spacin', maaaan," Chloe elongated the words as she attempted to sound like a 60's space-alien-conspiracy-supporting hippie. "Seriously though - you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm cool just… thinking. Doesn't matter," she muttered and shrugged.

So they _finally_ entered the shop and _immediately_ Max regretted it.

She was not wearing anything Chloe bought her here. Most of it was crude, too dark, far too much out there for her style.

"Oh wow, Chloe this… this isn't my style-"

"You don't _have_ a style Max. Chill sista, I got you," Chloe replied and rolled her eyes. "Step out of the comfort zone a bit."

Max _was_ out of her comfort zone. She was out of her comfort zone the moment Dana took her to that damn mill and forced an almost unhealthy habit of visiting the mill just to see Chloe. _Her band,_ not Chloe - obviously, Max had no interest in Chloe. No interest beyond friends because - _haha_ \- Max had no chance against Rachel Amber.

"Ey! Eyes up here, Max!" Chloe exclaimed and shook her friend, getting her attention back. "You've got some issues with spacing out. You seen a doctor or a shrink or somethin' like that about it? Might fix you up," she continued as she sauntered into one of the aisles in the rather dark and drab looking 'shop'.

Snorting in return, Max followed. "I don't have issues. I've just got… things on my mind. It's fine, I'm cool. Anyway. Like I was saying - this isn't my style Chloe," she spoke as she walked behind Chloe, looking anywhere but her.

Chloe ignored her, instead grabbing shirts at random and turning around to size them up against Max - hearing her drone on about something that Chloe wasn't so bothered about. "Yep. Yep. Okay Max, shush. You talk too much," she chided in and stopped, looking at her.

Max scowled and opened her mouth to speak but Chloe promptly forced her mouth shut with her hands.

"Shush!" she said again before gasping and pulling her hand back. _"Oh,_ what the _fuck-"_

Laughing, Max pulled her own hand over her mouth. "Didn't expect me to lick your hand, huh? I still remember that you _hated_ it when we were kids."

"EW! That's gross, dude." Chloe grumbled beneath her nose and wiped her hand on her jeans, quickly returning to browsing the shirt selection. Beneath her breath, she started listing off the band shirts she was willing to buy for Max. "Hm. Black Flag, NOFX, Ramones…" she trailed off.

Max waited.

* * *

Max wasn't very happy with Chloe.

"Chloe, I am not wearing half of what you bought me," she pointed out as she stared inside the three bag-fulls of shirts she now held. "You spent a fortune on me and… ugh!"

Chloe laughed as they jumped back into the truck. Waiting as the vehicle kicked forward and off the pavement, back onto the road, she shook her head at Max. "S'fine dude. I have hella cash, ain't a big. Being a rockstar pays, especially in a shitty little town like Arcadia surprisingly. Alot of people look for excitment, which means they look for us."

"Uh-huh. Right. Well, the point stands - I'm not wearing half of this." Max was adamant on this. She hadn't even heard of half the bands that she now owned shirts of. Okay, perhaps she knew of _most_ of them actually.

Perhaps, just _perhaps,_ she researched punk bands in her free time after seeing Chloe for the first time. _Perhaps._ There was _no guarantee_ she did this, but if someone checked her history in the past two, three months then they'd more than likely see the truth.

"Whatever dude. You're wearing one of those shirts next weekend, dig?" Chloe stated and glanced at Max. Taking a breath, she pulled out her puppy eyes. "Pweaaaase?"

Max narrowed her eyes, raised her hand and gave her the middle finger. "Fine. Maybe," she simply stated and looked back out the window.

Chloe celebrated by turning up the radio and singing along to some song that Max tuned out. She mostly spent her time staring at Chloe, trying not to blush too hard.

* * *

"Alright dude, see ya on the weekend?" Chloe said as they pulled up to Blackwell. "I want to see you in one of those shirts. Sending me a selfie or some shit of you wearing one too? That'd be awesome."

Max grumbled as she opened the door and slipped out. "Mhm. Right. I'll see what I can do, but no promises!" she replied, glancing at Chloe. "I'll… I'll see you soon."

Chloe grinned and leaned over to slam the door shut. Moments later she took off with a skid, laughing to herself when she saw Max jump and immediately flip her off in the mirror.

* * *

Max kept her promise and sent Chloe an awkward looking selfie of her wearing one of the Black Flag shirts that she bought.

 **Max:** happy?

 **Chloe:** omg dude

 **Chloe:** OMG DUDE

 **Chloe:** u look rockin in that, fml

 **Chloe:** ur wearing that on saturday, cya

 **Max:** wHAT

 **Max:** but the OTHERS

 **Chloe:** UR WEARING THE BLACK FLAG SHIRT

 **Chloe:** THATS IT

 **Max:** fuck you

 **Chloe:** you wish

Grumbling beneath her nose, Max threw her phone back down onto her desk and decided to keep the shirt on. It was comfortable at least, though not her style. But… Chloe did say she didn't have a style. Dana did too, once. Perhaps she should just… suck it up and get used to this.

Chloe liked it at least.


	6. Pine Point, '86

**A/N:**

Song(s) used in this chapter:

PUP - Pine Point

* * *

It was the weekend eventually, that is - it was the weekend after a week that lasted for almost a month (in Max's head), because obviously she was looking forward to showing off herself in her new punk gear, courtesy of Chloe. She was looking forward to it ever since she had received Chloe's text just the weekend prior, right after sending over her selfie - she was never one for confidence, but having Chloe say all those things was… nice.

It gave her a bit of a blush too.

So now she had found herself walking down the usual gravel path to the abandoned mill - there were some rundown fences on either side, trees and hills. There were also a few groups of students from Blackwell, giving Max a weird, almost shifty look as she walked by. They had seen her before, but not in an outfit like… that.

Sporting the Black Flag shirt that Chloe wanted to see, she also had a brand new pair of ripped, black jeans and her usual trusty sneakers. Speaking of which, she still hadn't cleaned them - swearing under her breath, she promised herself to do it… eventually. Did people even clean their sneakers though? Probably not.

Oh. Max was also wearing a flannel - one of the few that Chloe had bought her actually, and she had it wrapped around her waist because it was quite warm already. She remembered Chloe laughing about something or other when she bought her the flannels - she was pretty sure she even checked her out once or twice, but Max was more than likely imagining what she would've liked to happen. Probably, anyway.

Walking further down the path, Max awkwardly shuffled past some mean looking bikers - all tattooed up and standing in a group. They all had some sort of… insignia or something on their back, but she did her best to ignore it as she walked right past. Approaching the actual mill, she smiled to herself as she heard the music already booming from inside - along with a host of cheers and woops.

It looked like the party had already started.

* * *

Equipped with a beer in hand, Max made her way towards the mosh. It was loud and crowded, she could see the band on the stage but didn't recognise them. Glancing down at her hand, she winced slightly as she was shoved sideways by one of the people dancing - she didn't really mind that much though, she was used to it by now.

Raising the beer to her lips, she took a swig and immediately scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Blegh," she muttered in distaste to herself and immediately put the beer back down - walking over to her usual spot in a quiet corner of the mosh.

 _How can people drink this stuff?_ she thought to herself, but looking back at it… she drunk a few beers before. Then again, she didn't enjoy it at all back then either - she just did it to fit in and not look so… dorky.

Standing in the back of the crowd, Max swayed herself gently to the beat and smiled as she listened to the bands come and go. Madhouse was always up last, so she had an hour or so to go before they even took the stage.

That gave her plenty of time to chill and try to work off the nerves she had - she was really looking forward to seeing Chloe, she always was.

* * *

"How is everyone doing tonight?"

Max smiled as the familiar voice of her friend boomed out over the crowd. Shifting in her place, she tiptoed slightly and looked over the heads of the many attendants - watching quietly as Chloe smiled at everyone. As usual, she was caked in heavy makeup - still sporting the two stripes on either cheek to boot and her hair swept over to one side; the electric blue shimmering in the dirty light that lit the stage.

"Y'all ready for some _reaaaal_ music?" Chloe asked loudly, laughing as she heard the crowd roar back in reply. "Alright, that's what I like to hear!"

Glancing behind her, she noticed her bandmates still setting up - Rachel was nowhere to be found yet. With a grin, she swept her head over the crowd - scanning for…

"Hey y'all over there - move outta my way," Chloe called out as she pointed towards Max - smiling wide.

Max watched with a blush as the crowd was quick to shuffle out of Chloe's way at her command - revealing her quite clearly and casting a couple dozen eyes onto her. She managed a small smile towards Chloe, holding her beer beside her neck in some sort of failing attempt to cover herself from the attention.

"I'm diggin' the look girl. Looks reaaal hot," Chloe teased out and winked. "Just a word of warning to y'all - if anyone lays a hand on that girl without her permission, you're gonna be finding out what a knuckle sandwich tastes like," she added, looking over the entire crowd.

There was a silence that lasted for a moment before the crowd cheered again, raising their hands and beers in some sort of attempt to tell Chloe they understood. Max saw Chloe smile and give them a nod, seemingly understanding what they'd meant.

Chloe cast a look to the side and saw Rachel getting onto the stage in her punk getup, immediately proceeding towards her own guitar. As she passed by, Chloe leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, earning an 'Aww' from the crowd - the same crowd she promptly flipped off and received a loud wave of laughter in reply.

Max thought it was all weird, but whatever. She tried to ignore the fact that Chloe willingly gave Rachel a kiss too.  
Tried to.

"Alright y'all we're gonna start slow today - I got a song that I wrote, kinda inspired by some shit I watched or read once, I dunno," Chloe mumbled into the mic, smiling at the quiet wave of whoops she received.

Gazing over her shoulder, Chloe gave each of her band members a nod before she turned back around. With a smile towards the crowd - she leaned into the mic.

 _"Oh in Pine Point, where I was born,"_ she sang softly - her guitar starting to play gently along. _"The roads are all overgrown, and no one's lived there for years."_

Joining her guitar was Rachel's own, then the drums - a slow, steady beat. The crowd responded by slightly swaying, a few stray cheers echoing out.

 _"The town was never the same, the mine was closed in '88,"_ she continued, eyes closed as she focused herself on the music and the words, _"and everyone disappeared…"_

Max listened with a soft smile as the guitars came to life harshly, the drums continuing their beat along.

 _"In Pine Point '86, my older brother died when we were kids, his best friend was wasted at the wheel,"_ Chloe's voice became raspy as she pressed herself against the mic. _"Oh in Pine Point, nothin' but memories, the abandoned cemetery, where we buried our family…"_

Chloe opened her eyes as the instruments stopped briefly before starting to work up themselves - crescendoing slowly. _"...and I hope you know, what you're doing…"_

Suddenly Chloe slammed her foot down as the drums followed, both her's and Rachel's guitars bursting into a louder, more aggressive tone. The crowd roared at the sudden change of volume.

 _"Up in Pine Point, where I kept my eyes on the prize, and it was you, it was you…"_ Chloe sang loudly, looking over the crowd.

Max blushed.

Chloe focused on her and smiled.

 _"Oh in Pine Point, where I kept my eyes on the prize, and it was you…"_ she repeated, her smile turning to a smirk that went unnoticed by Rachel. _"...it was you…"_

* * *

Only an hour later - perhaps two, maybe three - Madhouse was done with their set. Receiving a booming chorus of cheers, whoops, compliments and claps, they had given everyone a bow - thanking them as usual for showing up. Max had even joined into it all in her quiet corner, smiling wide as she clapped and cheered whilst the last few words were said.

Taking her beer, she took a last swig from the bottle - which was almost emptied, surprisingly - and left the mosh for the bar. It was a struggle because like her, many of the people attending the mosh were there just for Madhouse, so now they were probably all heading home.

Finally however, after about 10 minutes worth of pushing and waiting patiently, Max was the last to exit the mosh. Unsurprisingly, most of the mill was empty - there were usual patrons sat at their tables, at some booths and there was a small group gathered near the bar - laughing and drinking. Again, as usual, Max slowly walked towards the bar - sitting herself on the stool.

She waited-

"Hey hippie!"

Max almost jumped out of her seat when Chloe's hand fell onto her shoulder and squeezed, pulling her back to face her. Breathing out in relief, Max chuckled and shook her head as she gave Chloe a once-over. Her makeup was smudged, though that was nothing unusual after their sets, and her clothes were the ones she had worn on stage.

No surprise really-

"Earth to I.S.S. Max - y'read me?" Chloe said loudly and raised an eyebrow, leaning in to stare Max in the eyes. "What is it with you spacing out on me, do I not get your attention enough?" she added, teasing quietly before immediately giggling.

"Oh, shut up!" Max shot back and gave Chloe a playful shove. "I was just thinking."

"Yeah, I realised that. Anyway, how did you enjoy the show?"

With a roll of her eyes, Max smiled. "You know that I always enjoy your show, it was awesome - seriously," she replied and crossed her arms.

Chloe let out the largest smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Glad you enjoyed. Now c'mon, let's go party girl-"

"-what?" Max squeaked out as she felt her hand get yanked forward by the overly-eager Chloe.

"Party girl! Y'know, the after party?" Chloe said over her shoulder as they began walking towards a door near the back of the mill. "C'mon, I got you an exclusive pass because you're like… my friend, so…"

Max was panicking slightly. After parties usually meant a select few people, right? She was already way over her comfortable boundaries by attending a mosh, but now she had to attend an after party with people she didn't know? It set her off into all kinds of thoughts-

"Max, stop spacing out - you haven't even smoked the weed yet!" Chloe shot at her over her shoulder again as they came to a stop outside the door. "Seriously, stop worrying - okay?"

"I'm not worrying-"

"-and I'm the Queen of England," Chloe sarcastically replied with a yawn. "Seriously, this'll be awesome - just chillax sista."

Chloe pushed the door open.

Max immediately scrambled a foot back as she was hit by a stench of weed.

"Ugh, what-"

"Chillax!" Chloe exclaimed and pulled her in, slamming the door behind them.

Giving the room a quick, desperate glance, Max's eyes widened. It wasn't as big as she thought it would be - it was _way worse._ There was a max of like… _10 people_ here, all of them already looking directly at Max - or was it Chloe?"

"Ayy, it's the punk rock queen!" shouted one of the dudes sitting on a ratty couch, joint in hand. He was wearing a snapback and had shaggy hair - Max saw him before, but couldn't put a name to the face.

Chloe laughed and gave a bow, receiving a cheer from everyone. "I brought a friend - everyone, this is Max. Max, this is everyone."

Max gave an awkward wave and wilted slightly under their gaze.

Everyone laughed.

"She's a shy wallflower but we're all here to change that! Now get back to enjoyin' yourselves!" she shouted and received another cheer before everyone resumed their previous activities - mainly getting high, drunk, dancing or a combination of all three, somehow.

Max yelped quietly as Chloe began to drag her further into the room, towards a small L-shaped couch - it was unoccupied, though on the table she could see various… beer bottles, bongs, pipes and roughly-rolled joints. She scrunched her nose up at the stench again.

"Sit, sit," Chloe said as she threw herself down onto the couch, immediately leaning towards the table to grab a joint.

Rubbing her elbow, Max stood there.

"Max, c'mon - it's just some weed, it's not going to kill you."

Max just continued rubbing her elbow.

Sure it was weed but… she never got high, nor drunk. She was a total outcast at this afterparty, yet Chloe just seemed so… alive and eager to make her comfortable.

"Ugh, fine," Max said and sat down, though she promised herself she wouldn't smoke - she was just here to enjoy Chloe's company; that's all.

"There you go hippie. Let me just-"

Max watched as Chloe sparked up a lighter, having failed the first few times, and then lit her joint. Immediately she took in a deep inhale and blew the smoke out before turning her head to Max with a smile.

"Hey, what I said on the stage back there?" Chloe murmured and pulled the joint to her lips, "I meant it. Seriously, you look killer in these threads - I knew my fashion sense would stick to you."

"Pfft - your fashion sense?" Max teased and crossed her arms.

Reaching over, Chloe gave Max a playful punch. "Yeah, my fashion sense. Seriously - the mini-hipster punk look y'got goin' on is fucking hot. I wouldn't be surprised if Dana wants to eat you out once you get back to the dorms."

Max sputtered out an array of sounds, none of them flattering.

Chloe cackled and took a drag from her joint, blowing the smoke above her. "Thank me once you've had your v-card punched, nerd."

"I am totally-"

"-not gay for Dana? Please girl," Chloe said with a laugh, "I know when I see eye-sex, alright? Seriously, Dana is all over that and I know you are too."

Max gave her a blank stare - her jaw agape. Chloe coughed out some smoke as she laughed again. Groaning, Max shoved her away.

"You're an asshole!" Max hissed and shook her head. "I totally thought you were being real. Wowsers."

Chloe coughed again, sputtering out wisps of smoke before whacking her chest with her fist a few times. _"Wowsers?_ Holy shit Max, are you still 13?"

"At heart."

"Sheesh girl - y'still play with dolls?"

"I have _never_ played with dolls-"

"-not even after I caught you makin' two barbies make out when we were kids?"

Max went _fucking crimson red_ at the cheeks when she remembered.

Chloe just laughed harder and collapsed back into her seat. "Jeez, you're so gay - you're wearing one of the flannels I bought you two. Looking to score tonight?" she teased, smirking before she took a puff from her joint.

"Oh my- just shut up!" Max shot back and covered her burning face - clawing at it to try and not die from embarrassment. "Shut up." Max shook her head and now began to understand why Chloe had laughed at her a week ago when she bought her some flannels.

With another laugh, Chloe went quiet and busied herself with her joint. She pulled up two beers from below the table, popping the caps on the edge and offering one to Max who denied it in an instant. She just shrugged and chugged her bottle down without her.

"Uhm. So, uh… where's Rachel?" Max eventually asked over the loud music being played.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and looked around before shrugging. "I'unno. If she ain't here then she's probably outside smokin' with a few of our roadies or something. She's real friendly with them and stuff," she mumbled and smoked her joint, taking a sip of her beer too. "Why? You want to meet her?"

Max's blush returned again. "Uh, n-no, no!" she quickly replied and shook her head. _"Shit,_ I mean like- I'd like to m-meet her _eventually_ but- I just thought you two were like… inseparable or something."

They both went silent.

Scoffing quietly, Chloe took another shot of her beverage. "Funny that. We're inseparable when she needs me for sex, gettin' high or drinking, but suddenly when I need her…" she trailed off and glanced at Max. "Whatever. Doesn't matter, we're good."

They both went silent yet again.

Max awkwardly played with her hands, thinking - it seems like her… suspicions about Rachel and Chloe's relationship had some truth in it. It made her feel slightly sad, knowing that Chloe was stuck with such a… manipulative person, but she couldn't really comment without knowing the whole truth - could she?

"Hey, you want a hit?"

"Huh?" Max suddenly looked up, seeing Chloe holding the joint out towards her. "Uhm. N-no thanks - I don't smoke."

Chloe rolled her eyes and pushed the joint closer to Max. "C'mon, don't be such a fucking pussy Max. You're at a party, relax girl - besides, I saw you chugging beer before when we were up on stage, I know you can let loose."

Max glanced down and opened her mouth to speak. She… felt pressured, but she didn't want to disappoint Chloe, not if there was a risk of pissing her off-

"Fuck me, you really need a hit," Chloe said and then shifted closer to Max - reaching down to grab her hand. "You're spacing without the weed, y'need to relax!"

Tongue tied, Max watched as Chloe took her hand and then placed the joint between her fingers. She took a hold of it herself, looking down as it burned away. "I d-don't know, I'm not much like… i-into it."

"Max - stop being such a _pussy!"_ Chloe growled louder. "Just… c'mon. Take a hit, raise it to your lips, pull on it slightly. For me?" she pouted, tilting her head sideways and throwing up her puppy eyes.

Max had nothing.

"Just one, two hits. It won't be enough to get you to Cloud 9, but you'll have an easier time - seriously…" Chloe pleaded again, pushing Max's hand towards her lips. "Maaaaaax."

"Alright, alright! Just… two hits, okay?" Max finally gave up and rolled her head. "Just two. Uhm, how d-do I…?"

"Cute. Here, let me show you how."

Max listened as Chloe explained and showed her before handing the joint back to her, receiving an expecting glare from her friend. She sighed, took a deep breath and followed Chloe's instructions. She placed the joint between her lips, held it as she gave it a slight pull-

-then began coughing as the smoke filled her mouth, throat and lungs. She knew it was going to happen but panicked, yet her panic sent her to start sputtering out everything she inhaled. She felt a few light smacks between her shoulder blades.

"There, there," Chloe said and snickered loudly - rubbing Max's back. "It's your first try, of course you'd fuck it up - everyone does. Try it again in a few seconds, but don't panic when you feel the smoke - it won't kill you."

Giving it a few seconds, Max tried again. It was much more successful this time though still flawed. Chloe giggled as she took the joint from her, taking a drag from it herself and blowing the smoke through her nose. She observed as Max leaned back in her seat, her complexion and body relaxing.

"See? Was it worth being such a pussy over it?" Chloe teased and nudged Max's ribs with her elbow. "Now c'mon - let's talk about shit, we still haven't caught up properly."

* * *

Max wasn't sure how long they talked for - all she knew was that she took way more than two hits from the joint. In fact, she was the one to finish it in the end. She was far more giggly than usual, slightly peckish too, but she felt… relaxed.

"Oh man, that was a good time…" Chloe murmured as she finished laughing, having told Max of something she'd done whilst in Blackwell. "Wells was fuckin' furious! Shit was hilarious and nobody ever found out it was me."

"Hmm," Max hummed and smiled, her head lulled to the side as she watched Chloe. "Sounds fun."

Chloe watched Max for a few seconds before snapping her fingers in front of her face - watching as she reacted a second or two late. "Oh dude, you're totally fucking high. Holy shit, I didn't even notice."

"M'not high," Max slurred and shook her head. "M'tired."

"Tired. Sure, let's go with that-"

"Chloe, baby?"

Max fucking sobered up in _nanoseconds_ as she heard the familiar purr of the voice - it was Rachel, here at last. She literally felt as her brain was sent into a panic, despite the cloud that hazed over it, and she was quick to shoot forward and shift a few inches away from Chloe; the two of them were rather close the entire time.

"Oh, R-Rach. You're here," Chloe said and coughed, rubbing the back of her head as she leaned forward herself. "What were you doing all that time?"

"Stuff, y'know. I'll tell you… later."

It didn't take Max long to figure out she was being glared at by Rachel - she could almost feel her eyes burning into her. She simply shifted and leaned forward to grab her completely untouched beer - taking the first sip from it to seem… normal.

"Is this your friend?" Rachel purred as she swung her leg over Chloe's lap - dropping down onto it. She gave Max a once over and giggled. "She looks hot."

Chloe gaped her mouth slightly, unsure how to reply to that.

"I sure hope you didn't fuck her behind my back, did you?" she hissed, low and dangerous as she glared at Chloe - one hand snaking up to wrap behind her neck.

Chloe gaped her mouth more before quickly shaking her head. "No, of course not - why… why would you even say that, you're my girlfriend babe-"

"-mm, good - your girlfriend needs your attention, right _meow,"_ Rachel purred into her girlfriend's ear, totally ignoring the small jerk her words got from Max beside them. "Y'know I'm needy…"

Max shifted uncomfortably. Did that mean what she thought it meant?

Cheeks turning a rosy red, Chloe herself was caught off guard by the request - especially with her friend right beside them, yet… it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last probably, that they did something like this. She gulped and nodded. "A-alright."

Rachel giggled again and gave Max a sideways glare, smirking as she was quick to grab Chloe's hand. "Fuck me," she said loudly, enough to tell Max exactly what was about to happen.

Chloe nodded and leaned up to kiss Rachel's throat softly-

"I g-gotta go," Max squeaked out and shot up as she saw the first kisses being applied. "Uhm. It's l-late and I have stuff to do tomorrow," she blurted out hurriedly.

"W-woah, Max - hey!"

"Fuck me," Rachel growled and pushed Chloe right back down into her seat - glaring at her. "Or are you going to go after your new girlfriend?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

Chloe was rigid as she saw Max stumbling forward and through the small group still dancing nearby. "I, uh…" she faded away, flapping her mouth about as she didn't know what to do.

"Chloe. Fuck. Me." Rachel glared at her and dug her fingers into her girlfriend's chest, rolling her hips over her lap. "I'm your girlfriend - not her."

That settled that.

* * *

What seemed like an eternity later, Max finally got back to the dorms. She stumbled around in the dark, looking for her key as she sniffled - quickly reaching up to wipe her eyes. She didn't know why, but… seeing that, hearing the way Rachel talked and just…

It made her fucking sad, and mad and so many more things she just couldn't comprehend right now.

She walked past Dana's dorm and gave it a sideways glance. It was like… ass o'clock in the morning anyway, so everyone was asleep. She sniffled again and focused ahead.

Only moments later did she manage to somehow unlock her room, close the door and promptly collapse in the bed.

She cried for a few more minutes, her mind still abuzz with everything and the weed certainly didn't help, yet it still had a nice… relaxing effect on her.

Though eventually, she fell asleep - absolutely exhausted.


	7. Spin the Dial

There was a knock on Max's door.

One. Two. Three. Four, even. Each one was slightly louder than the last - and Max heard every single one of them just as loudly.

She just chose not to open the door.

"Max."

Max buried her face in her pillow and kept silent. She had no interest in talking to Dana, talking to anyone really - not after yesterday, after what she'd heard and witnessed. How could Chloe even justify what Rachel did? Max had no idea, so she chose not to think about it anymore. It was probably better that way.

"Max, I know you're in there - you haven't come out of your room yet."

That raised an eyebrow. Was Dana watching her? That would be weird, but then again - Dana hung out with Juliet; Blackwell's finest journalist snoop. Not as big as Max, but close.

"I'm going to keep knocking on this door until you do."

There was another knock, then another, then another. Dana was insisting on being annoying. She kept on knocking.

Eventually Max gave up.

"Okay, okay - I'm coming, just stop!" she grumbled loud enough for Dana to hear, throwing her pillow into the corner of her bed. She was promptly at the door, turning the lock and opening it _just enough_ so that Max could get a peek at Dana.

"Max," Dana started and put her hands on her hips, "what's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing-"

"Max," Dana firmly stopped her. "Something is wrong. You've been crying."

Max raised an eyebrow and quickly wiped at her eyes. "I wasn't."

Dana was quiet for all but a moment before letting slip a sigh. "Yes you were. Can I come in?" she murmured, smiling softly.

As cogs turned in Max's head at the request, Dana giggled. Max finally nodded quietly and pulled open the door, waiting until her friend was firmly standing in the middle of the room. "Sorry about the mess," she apologised, waving her hand about.

"Juliet's room looks worse, trust me," Dana assured her and sat herself down on the edge of Max's bed. She patted the space beside her. "C'mon."

Max had crossed her arms and tapped her foot a few times. She gave up, sagged her shoulders and dropped down beside Dana. "It's nothing," she mumbled automatically. "Just my… stupid crush," she immediately corrected herself, knowing that Dana wouldn't give up - so what was the point in hiding it?

Dana knowingly smiled and placed a hand on Max's shoulder, giving it an assuring rub. "There, there," she murmured and watched as Max sort of just… collapsed in on herself - dropping her hands over her knees.

"I'm just… I'm so worried for Chloe. I was at an, uhm... after party with her yesterday and… it was nice. We, uh, smoked some weed."

"You smoked weed?" Dana asked, an eyebrow raised but a smirk lining her lips. "You, Max Caulfield, smoked weed?"

Max kinda rolled her head side to side before giving Dana a nod. "...yeah? I just… it kinda felt right, with Chloe there and stuff, I guess."

"You trusted her."

"Yeah. Yeah, something like that."

"So you smoked weed. What then?" Dana asked, giving Max another shoulder rub.

"Well… we talked. It was nice, we caught up and stuff," Max continued and began to draw circles over her knees with a finger, trying to distract herself. "Then Rachel came."

Dana gave her another rub and sighed. "I… I see. Well, what happened?"

"Rachel just… completely ignored me. Like I didn't exist. I mean - I'm used to stuff like that everyday, but people at least _acknowledge_ me. Rachel just… completely blew me off like I wasn't there."

With a quiet hum, Dana rubbed her shoulder again and looked to the floor. "Yeah, I've seen her do that before. Mostly to people who were with Chloe too, but there were exceptions. What then?"

Max blushed as she tried to find a way to word the next part. It was still all… quite surreal, hearing Rachel straight up proposition Chloe for sex around so many people. "Uhm. She… she asked Chloe to have s-sex with her? She was quite blunt about it too," she murmured, glancing at Dana.

It came as no surprise to Dana, so she simply hummed again. "Figures. She was trying to show you just how much… control she has over Chloe. Who she belongs to."

"Belongs to? Uh, well… yeah... Chloe tried to say no but…" Max trailed off, looking at the floor. She gave a shaky exhale and dropped her face into her hands, pulling at her hair. "Ugh, it's so stupid. I shouldn't be telling you any of this, it doesn't matter-"

"Max, it matters. You matter," Dana replied softly, smiling as she leaned in to look at Max. "Let me guess - Chloe tried to say no, Rachel said some things, maybe tried to guilt her and Chloe submitted?"

Max knocked her knees together and nodded quietly. "Yeah. S-something like that."

"Mhm. Well… you're not the first she did that to," Dana admitted quietly and squeezed her shoulder, pulling Max up a little bit. "But look…" she trailed off and bit her lip, trying to think of something - anything - she could tell Max to cheer her up.

"Dana, I don't… I don't need you telling me it'll be fine," Max spoke up, looking at Dana; holding her gaze for a few seconds."It's not fine right now. I want to help Chloe, but it's hard because I'm crushing on her at the same time. I'm always worried I'll say something stupid, let something slip and…"

Dana frowned for just a brief second before smiling and giving her shoulder another rub.

"Chloe… Chloe doesn't _deserve_ to be treated like that. No. I've seen the way Rachel controls her and commands her and… I don't know, I really want to do something about it but I _can't._ I don't know where to even begin. I'm just a stupid, useless, hipster-"

"Hey, c'mon," Dana interrupted her with a gentle shake. "You're not that, Max. You're cool in my books," she continued and smiled wider. "Cute too. Chloe sees that."

Max blushed. Of course she did - Dana called her cute and she still didn't know how to take on compliments or flirts. Was Dana flirting with her? Max didn't even know - wrapping her head around such a concept was hard, especially with everything that's been burdening her recently.

"Thanks, I guess…" Max mumbled looked up at Dana.

Looking right back at her, Dana rubbed her shoulder again.

Max was still blushing. Her mind travelled back to the day before, to what Chloe said - something about the fact that Max and Dana had eye sex? Yeah, something like that. That didn't help Max's blush _at all._ In fact, it made it much, _much worse_ \- she just hoped Dana didn't notice, but that was stupid because Dana noticed _everything._

"Max-"

"Dana-"

Dana went quiet and tilted her head. "Go on," she gestured her to talk first.

What followed was silence instead. Max was still thinking it over. Chloe had joked that Dana crushed on her, but was she actually joking? She wasn't sure - Chloe, the new Chloe at least, wasn't easy for her to read. Sure they laughed about it, but the way she talked made it sound... genuine, maybe?

Also there was no way that Max was beating Rachel to Chloe, not anymore, not after last night's display. Perhaps she'd have to simply give up.

"Max?" Dana murmured, looking her over. She leaned in a bit more, giving her a gentle shake again. "You okay?"

Max gaped her mouth a little and looked at Dana.

Before either of them knew what was happening, Max's lips were clumsily on Dana's - attempting to kiss her. Dana froze up for just a moment but kissed back, slowing Max down. Her hand drifted up from her shoulder and up her neck, cupping her cheek as she pulled Max in closer.

Then Max squeaked and pulled back suddenly - realising what she'd done.

"Oh _s-shit,_ Dana - I am so, _so_ sorry-"

"Max-"

"-fuck, I didn't mean to d-do that, I just kinda f-freaked and-"

 _"-Max-"_

"-shit, I gotta go..."

"Max!"

Max completely ignored the fact that Dana was calling after her. She was already halfway down the dorm - getting a few funny looks from the few people walking the halls, especially with Dana calling after her. She frantically pulled her black hoodie on and threw up the hood, trying to drown the world out around her.

She dashed down the stairs once she left the dorm hall - Dana was no longer calling after her, thankfully. At least Max couldn't hear her.

Moments later she burst out of the door and nearly tripped herself over on the three girls sitting on the steps.

"Oh - shit! Sorry!" she squeaked out as she stepped right past Victoria, Taylor and Courtney.

"What the _fuck,_ Lamefield!" Victoria almost screeched. "Watch where you're going, selfie-ho!"

Max tried ignoring her as she pushed her hands into her pockets, speed walking away. Her heart was thumping - _hammering_ \- against her chest. Her cheeks were still flush after what she'd done.

That was not what she wanted to do.

 _Totally not._

* * *

Max found herself on the beach about an hour later. With her phone in her pocket, she was holding it with a steel grip as she just walked along the sand, nearby the treeline. It was turned off thankfully, but it had blown up with quite a few missed calls and texts before she went ahead and did that.

What she needed right now was fresh air, space and time to think.

Kissing Dana was… impulsive, but Max to admit it was… nice? Also she was pretty sure Dana kissed her back. That must've made it okay, right? Dana wouldn't be mad. Hopefully. Max didn't want Dana to be mad, she was like her only friend in Blackwell apart from Kate.

Maybe Max should've stayed behind and talked, not ran.

"Ugh…" she grumbled and dropped her head, shoving her hands further down her pockets. She looked at the sand as she walked and then kicked up a bunch.

 _Max Caulfield, you're an idiot,_ she thought to herself. _Crushing on your best friend and then suddenly you're kissing somebody who is perhaps the most attractive girl in school. What were you thinking?_

That was the problem - Max wasn't thinking at that point in time.

She sighed and kicked up some more sand.

"Woah, watch it asshole!"

Max yelped in surprise, quite literally jumping up as she looked in front of her.

"Chloe?"

Chloe crossed her arms and tilted her head, looking at Max. She narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. It's me, isn't it? Open your eyes, Caulfield."

"I… s-shit, sorry - I wasn't looking and-"

"Woah, hey," Chloe interrupted and stepped forward, her angered look immediately fading, softening. She smiled instead. "Don't stress dude, I was pulling your leg. Jeez, take a joke."

Max breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, thankful for that. She wasn't sure just how she could deal with an angry Chloe now. "Right. Uhm. Sorry, I'm just… in a pickle," she admitted and sagged her shoulders, looking back down at the sand. She kicked up another bunch, but away from Chloe.

"Girl problems?" Chloe asked and smirked. Judging by Max's sudden blush, she was right. _"Mhm."_

"No, it's not…" she trailed off and groaned, grasping at her hair and pulling in frustration. "...yeah?" she whispered, glancing back up at Chloe. "Kinda. I just needed some space to think. I… uh…"

"Chill dude," Chloe said and put her hand on Max's shoulder. "Come sit," she added - gesturing to a nearby rock. "Let's just talk and shit. I'm good with girl problems."

Max snorted. "Yeah."

So they both sat down beside each other - kinda half leaning, half sitting on a rock along the beach. They had a good view of the ocean, the waves. It was strangely calming just sitting there and looking at it, listening. You couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of Blackwell, the shouts and constant conversations.

It was nice.

"So tell me," Chloe began and took out joint from her jacket, "what's going on, huh? Is it Dana? You two fuck yet?" she teased as she sparked up. "Let me guess - you woke up this morning beside her and couldn't remember the night? Freaked out?"

Max blushed and shook her head. "Uh, no - nothing like that thankfully," she whispered, clearing her throat. "Nothing like that."

Chloe looked Max over for a few seconds, leaning forward - giving her an inquisitive, teasing eyebrow wiggle. She puffed on her joint and then blew away the smoke, laughing suddenly as Max's blush only got worse.

"Oh, you are just… the worst!" Max grumbled loudly and shuffled a few inches away.

"Alright, so no sex. She ask you out? You ask her out?"

"I thought you wanted me to tell you what happened? You gonna keep asking me questions or allow me to talk?" Max pointed out quietly, sinking into her hoodie a bit. She sighed and looked down at her knees.

"...alright. Sure. Fine then, fire away Maxipad."

Max just groaned again. "I hate that nickname. You know that."

"Hey, are you gonna keep complaining or are you actually gonna tell me what the fuck your problem is?" Chloe asked suddenly, looking down at Max as her joint hung loosely in her lips. "Hurry the fuck up, go on!"

"...I kinda kissed Dana?"

Chloe sputtered out some smoke, spitting out her joint on accident in the process. She was quick to bend over and grab it only seconds later, coughing and wheezing - waving her hand towards Max as the girl had moved forward to help.

Max fell back and just watched, eyes wide in surprise.

"You _what?"_ Chloe exclaimed, her face scrunched up in confusion and shock as she looked at Max. "You… you k-kissed Dana? _What?"_

"...yeah?" she squeaked out and sunk further into her hoodie, hiding her face. "It was like… an impulsive thing. She was there and I remembered what you told me and… I just... kinda... leaned in and, uh... kissed her?"

"...damn Max," Chloe whispered, quickly taking a drag of her joint. "That's hardcore, takes some balls to do that."

"That's just… ew, Chloe…" Max cringed in her hoodie briefly and looked over at her friend. "After I… kissed her I kinda f-freaked and ran?"

Chloe stopped moving again, looking at Max. She blinked, nodded slowly and suddenly burst out into laughter.

"You are _literally_ the worlds biggest asshole!" Max groaned and pushed herself up, pacing a few steps away and dragging her hands across her face. "I don't know why I even try and tell you things. Ugh."

"I'm sorry but… _running away,_ Max? That is literally like… _the Max Caulfield thing_ to do - there a guidebook for that?" Chloe chuckled for a few seconds, her laughs dying down. She snorted and then finally stopped, taking another puff from her joint. "Jesus, Max. First you kiss a girl and then you run? What a way to make an impression."

"...yeah. I'm not…" Max mumbled, stopping short of saying… something before she just shrugged. "Yeah. I'm kinda freaked out about it. Ugh, what am I saying - I _am_ still freaking out about it."

Chloe nodded quietly and then pulled her chin up, looking up at the sky - thinking. "Hm. Well… if I was you then I'd probably go right back to the dorms and apologise, then kiss the shit out of Dana - then you'd have make up sex."

Max groaned and covered her face. Chloe _was_ the worst.

"I'm kidding," Chloe quickly added and snorted again. "But no, seriously Max… you, uh… did actually k-kiss her, right? Wasn't a dream? You ain't like tryin' to pull my leg now, are you?"

"No, it wasn't a dream and no, I'm not pulling your leg Chloe."

Looking away again, Chloe just looked out over the ocean - letting out a quiet hum. "I see," she whispered, though her voice sounded different - softer. "Thats… wow. Way to take my advice, girl. Didn't realise you had it in you."

Max just nodded and looked out over the ocean herself.

They sat there quietly for a few minutes - both of them thinking. Chloe offered Max her joint a few times but she refused; she wasn't in the mood and honestly she didn't feel that… safe smoking out in such a public place. An abandoned lumber mill was one thing, but a public beach? No good. So she opted to calming herself in more tried and tested ways - such as simply breathing in and out.

"Uhm, so… help me?" Max eventually asked, breaking their silence. She gave Chloe a sideways glance and sighed. "I'm kinda lost and you said you had experience."

Chloe cleared her throat and finished her joint, throwing it to the ground. She kicked some sand over the roach and then nodded, crossing her arms and leaning back. "I have some experience. But yeah, your situation… I'd honestly just go back to Dana and talk?"

"...really?" Max whispered, turning to face her.

"Yeah? Dana is cool from what I remember. She understands things, knows things - she's the dorm mom, right? I can honestly just imagine her waiting for you patiently right now to be honest, probably in her room and listening to music or some shit," Chloe continued, bracing herself back on the rock and looking at the ocean again.

"...she has a boyfriend though…" Max mumbled and looked at the ground again, trying to make out each fine grain of sand. Probably not smart, but it kept her distracted.

"Yeah, that'll be a problem," Chloe admitted and nodded. "But you gotta talk first. There's no point worrying about it. Just… go and talk. Dana won't bite. Or maybe she will - I don't know what she's like under-"

"Chloe, stop, okay!" Max squeaked out and covered her ears. "Okay, I get it!"

Chloe looked at Max, smirked and just shook her head. "God, you're cute sometimes, y'know that?"

Max just blushed again and groaned. "Stooop."

"Okay, fine - whatever," Chloe finally gave up - pulling her hands up placatingly. "I'm done. No more teasing."

"Ugh, this is... shucks."

Again they fell into a silence, sitting beside one another. Chloe kept looking down at Max, seeing her just staring ahead, sometimes down - looking over the sand. She sighed and looked away, pulling her beanie down a bit.

"Hey, look… about yesterday?" Chloe began in a whisper, biting her lip. "Uhm. Rachel didn't mean to ignore you like that. It's just that… sometimes she has needs and I… kinda provide."

Max was silent still, thinking it over. Chloe didn't sound… very convincing, but she didn't want to pry. Not until she sorted things out between herself and Dana, see where they stood. Chloe was still a high priority though.

"It's okay," Max replied and gave a small, meek nod. "I'm used to being ignored."

Chloe sighed and reached over to grab Max's shoulder, giving it a rub. "Hey, don't knock yourself down. You're awesome, Max. I mean look at you - kissing the hottest chick in Blackwell. Well, apart from Vic - but she's a _bitch."_

"Hm," Max snorted and smiled, appreciating the reassuring squeeze she got, the words.

They got quiet again.

Moments later however that silence was ruptured by the sound of an engine - labouring away. There was a loud screech of tires too.

Chloe looked over her shoulder and groaned - seeing Frank's RV pull up to his usual place. "Ugh, fuck - it's Frank. C'mon, let's get outta here, I'll take you back to Blackwell."

Max nodded and pushed herself up, following Chloe. She gave Frank's RV only a brief look; all she knew about him was that he sold drugs. She wasn't a fan of that, people like him were dangerous.

"Alright Romeo, let's get you back to your… eh, Juliet? Dana? Eh, whatever-the-fuck - lets get you back to Blackwell so you can get that v-card punched, girl."

 _"Chloe."_

Chloe just snickered loudly in reply.

* * *

Only 15 minutes later (give or take, Chloe held Max back a bit to talk), Max was outside Dana's room. A few feet away at least, she had stopped herself just short to have some time. It was starting to get late and she could see her door wide open, could hear some quiet pop song playing. Inside she could also make out Dana humming.

Max stood just outside of the doorway, breathing in and out slowly. "Okay. You can do this-"

"Max."

Max squeaked and jumped up again, frightened for the second time that day. Her eyes shot open as she saw Dana standing in the doorway, an expecting look on her face and her arms crossed.

"D-Dana-"

"Max, c'mon - come in," Dana interrupted and smiled, gesturing Max inside. "I won't bite."

"...okay."

So she entered. Dana closed the door behind her and then gently pushed Max towards the bed, ensuring she sat down on the edge. She then promptly crawled onto the bed and sat down cross legged, looking at Max; her hands on her lap.

"So-"

"Dana, I'm _r-really sorry_ for doing that," Max blurted out. "I… totally forgot you have a boyfriend and-"

 _"Had,_ Max, but go on."

 _"-had,_ and I just wanted to… I wanted… wait, you _had_ a boyfriend?" Max asked quietly, her eyebrow raised as she leaned in curiously. _That_ was news to her. "Um. I thought you and… Trevor…"

"We didn't work out," Dana said and bobbed her head. "But hey, that's life. There was no hard feelings, we're still cool."

"...oh. Oh, that… _ooooh…"_ Max looked down at her hands as she suddenly began to put pieces together.

Now it… kinda made sense as to why Dana kissed her back and didn't pull away first. It also probably explained why Dana kept sending her messages that it was fine. It _also_ probably explained why she kept calling until Max turned her phone off.

Dana giggled and reached over to put her hand on Max's, giving it a soft squeeze. "It's okay Max. Take your time."

Max scrunched up her face, nodded and then finally let out a sigh. She dropped her face into her hands and went quiet. "So… y-you're not mad I kissed you?"

"I kissed you back, didn't I?" Dana teased.

"...I guess."

Looking about, Max had only noticed how nice Dana's room looked. It was always so tidy and well organised, had pictures of boybands, girlbands and all sorts of other things. She could even see her cheerleader outfits on the couch - laid out and ready for when she needed them.

"Dana, I… um…" she began and looked at her again. "S-so, about the kiss…"

"I liked it Max," Dana assured her and shuffled closer - now sitting directly beside her. "Stop fretting, I would've told you if I hadn't."

"Oh."

There was another period of silence. Max scuffed her dirty sneakers together - _goddamnit,_ she told herself that she'd clean them-

"Hey. It's okay Max. Seriously," Dana spoke, squeezing Max's hands together again. She received a weak squeeze back, but it was something.

"Dana, would now be a good time to admit I kinda… crush on you…?" Max whispered, looking up from the floor and towards Dana. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I, uhm…"

"Max, _it's okay,"_ Dana hummed and shifted so she was facing Max completely. "You're cute. Smart. Bit of a clumsy kisser, but hey - we can work on that."

"Oh. Oh. So… willyougooutwithme?" she quickly muttered, immediately looking away. She was blushing again and her heart was fucking _pounding_ against her rib cage so much it almost hurt. She kinda wished she wasn't this awkward - hell, who was she kidding - she _definitely_ wished she wasn't this awkward.

Dana waited a few seconds and tilted her head. Only moments later did she lean in and kiss Max briefly - giggling at the quiet gasp she received. "Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"I… yes," Max replied and suddenly smiled. Her heart was threatening to break out of her chest after that kiss. "Yes. Uhm. So we're... girlfriends now, right?"

"Yes Max, we're girlfriends." Dana giggled and rolled her eyes. "Now we can kiss and hold hands in public too."

Max blushed harder and then groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

Still. Asking Dana out was a… step, but she wasn't sure in which direction. She admittedly did develop a small crush on her, and the kiss was… nice. Maybe she could live with this. Having a girlfriend sounded good. This was... much easier than Max imagined in all honesty.

"You want to sleep over?" Dana asked and squeezed Max's hand again.

"Oh. Uh."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna force you," Dana assured her and let out a quiet, almost dreamy sigh. "If you're not staying over then you should maybe get to sleep. Classes tomorrow, we can talk more in the morning."

Max gaped her mouth a bit, staring at Dana. She leaned in and kissed her again quickly.

Dana just giggled and reciprocated.

It lasted a bit longer than a second, but a bit shorter than a few. When they broke away, Max was slightly breathless and Dana was simply smiling.

Max could get used to kissing.

She cleared her throat, brushed away her hair and nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'll go to sleep."

"Good. Sweet dreams, Max."

"Yeah. Yeah, y-you too."

* * *

Chloe stared at her ceiling.

 _"Oh, f-fuck - Chloe-"_

She was thinking. Thinking about her encounter with Max, about what she said. About the fact that Max had kissed Dana, followed Chloe's advice - advice that she gave as a _joke._ She didn't actually expect Max to go and do it, yet she did.

But that hurt.

Chloe didn't know why, but that _hurt._ Hearing Max talk about it, ask for Chloe's advice on how to proceed. Why did that hurt, why did her heart swell up at that? Was is jealousy?

Fuck.

"Ugh, fuck - Chloe!" Rachel suddenly growled, coming to a stop. She glared down at her girlfriend. "What the fuck? Am I gonna do all the work here?" she asked, gesturing down at the strap on.

Gulping, Chloe looked down herself and then glanced right back up to Rachel. "I'm sorry baby, I'm just… not in the mood-"

"Of-fucking-course," Rachel hissed and dropped her head. "Of course you're not in the fucking mood. Ugh."

Chloe looked away in shame. It wasn't everyday that she wasn't up for sex with her girlfriend - hell, she was up for it everyday - but today just felt… off. She didn't know why. Well, she did.

Rachel suddenly slapped Chloe across the cheek lightly, enough to get her attention. "Chloe! Wake up, Jesus - what's wrong with you? Are you fucking high already?"

"I…"

"It's that fucking Max girl, isn't it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Are you fucking her behind my back?"

Chloe raised both eyebrows and quickly shook her head. She rode her hands up Rachel's back, trying to soothe her, calm her. "No, baby - no it isn't her-"

"Bullshit," Rachel snapped and then slapped her again - harder. "You're thinking about her."

"Rachel, baby-"

Rachel tried slapping her again.

Chloe caught her by the wrist just before she struck, already feeling the sting she received from the last two. She looked up at her and closed her eyes. "Rachel. I'm not in the mood. No. I'm not thinking about Max. Please, just let it go. Just relax."

"...ugh, let me f-fucking go!" Rachel hissed and yanked her wrist out of Chloe's grip. "Un-fucking-believable," she continued as she slipped off Chloe, immediately moving about the room and gathering her clothes.

Watching her, Chloe felt a bit guilty, but good. It wasn't everyday she stood up to Rachel, but when she did… it felt good. She didn't feel so… used.

"I'm going to pick up weed from Frank, maybe something else - won't be back for a while," Rachel announced, not even looking at Chloe. She took her things, grabbed her packet of cigarettes on the way out and then slammed the door shut.

Silence followed. It was a welcome respite.

Chloe pushed herself up into a sitting position, pulling her knees closer to her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself and dropped her head down - sighing quietly. She hadn't pissed Rachel off in a long while, but she still remembered the last time she did.

Thankfully this time wasn't as bad as then.


	8. Young and Alive

**A/N:**

Song(s) used in this chapter:

Beach Slang - American Girls and French Kisses

* * *

When Max next woke up, she felt much better than she had in a long time.

She had a girlfriend.

She - Max Caulfield, one of the _biggest hipsters_ in _all_ of Blackwell, perhaps the _fucking West Coast_ \- had a _girlfriend._ It wasn't just any girlfriend either, it was Dana Ward, perhaps the prettiest - no - _the_ prettiest girl in the entirety of Blackwell. How the hell did she get here?

It felt so surreal. All she did was kiss her on impulse and… here she was. Crazy.

Max just stared at her ceiling, a goofy smile on her face as she thought it all over.

There was a temporary ache in her heart however when she thought about Chloe. She still hadn't figured out how to help her with Rachel because Chloe _needed_ help with Rachel, that much was sure. She also thought back to the day before, to the beach - their conversation - and the way that Chloe looked genuinely surprised after Max told her what she'd done, how she sounded like when they spoke.

Did Chloe feel jealous? Did she sound jealous? Max wasn't sure, but… for whatever reason a part of her took that as a small victory, made her feel good.

Finally pushing herself up, Max sat on the edge of her bed and looked down at the floor. She scrunched up her face and then looked around instead - noticing how much of a mess her room was. She felt like cleaning, but first she needed to clean herself.

Across the room in moments, she grabbed her usual shower supplies and headed for the door.

There was a knock.

No, it wasn't a _knock_ \- it was more like three, heavy pounds against the door; each one harder than the last.

Max raised an eyebrow as she approached, biting her lip in hesitation. She had a bad feeling, a sickening churn in her stomach as she could hear someone pacing outside, could see their shadow below the door. She gulped and put her hand on the handle, holding it there.

Could she do this? _Should_ she do this?

Gasping suddenly, she jumped up as there was another series of heavy knocks.

Max closed her eyes, took in a breath and opened the door. It's okay. It was probably just… Victoria or something. Yeah. Whatever, she could deal with that.

Almost immediately she wilted when she looked outside however, shrinking.

It wasn't Victoria.

It was Rachel.

"R-Rachel?" Max stuttered out in confusion. "What are you-"

Completely ignoring her, Rachel just barged past Max into her room. She looked around, found nothing and then whipped around to look at Max. She grabbed her by the arm, ignoring Max's sudden whine at how harsh the grip was, and then slammed the door shut.

"Just _who the fuck_ do _you_ think you are?" Rachel immediately snapped at her, watching as Max just stood there.

What the fuck was going on?

Max opened her mouth, flapped it a few times - trying to come up with a coherent response. "I-I…"

"Chloe doesn't _care_ about _you!"_ Rachel continued before Max could get a word out. "Just what the fuck did you say to her, huh?"

"I didn't-"

"Yes you did!" Rachel yelled and then shoved Max, watching as she stumbled back. "You told her something, talked to her and now she's fucking distracted, trying to distance herself, trying to stand up to me! What did you say, _bitch!"_

Of all the things Max had expected to happen today, this was not it. Hell - she didn't expect this to happen _ever._

"Rachel, me and Chloe… I didn't-"

Rachel shoved at her again, again and again.

Max tried to fight back but couldn't, she was still processing everything, still trying to figure out just what the fuck was happening. She was in distress.

"I don't want you fucking m-meeting her again!" Rachel demanded as she took a hold of Max's wrists, giving her a sudden shake. "You leave her _alone!_ You did it well enough for 5-fucking-years! _"_ she added.

With a bit of confidence, Max shook her head and yanked herself back from Rachel's grip. "N-no," she said and then took a step back, holding her hands down beside herself. "You don't get to just… s-storm into my dorm and _demand_ things!" she snapped.

Taken aback for just a moment, Rachel pushed forward. "She's my girlfriend!"

"Yeah and she's my friend!" Max retorted. _"You_ don't get to decide who she does and doesn't meet, you don't… _own_ her! She's her own person!"

Rachel growled and grabbed Max again.

They scuffled, the two grunting and pushing and pulling, shoving at one another-

 _"Rachel!"_

Max stopped, just as Rachel did to. They both stared off to the side - watching as Dana suddenly walked into the room, a look of fury resting upon her face. Behind her some of the girls from the dorm were looking on - Victoria amongst them, Kate too.

"What the _hell_ are you doing _here?"_ Dana hissed - she sounded _pissed._ Max had never heard Dana angry. "What are you doing to Max?"

"This bitch-"

"Get _out!"_ Dana shouted and stepped forward, grabbing at Rachel as she tried to struggle against her grip - yet Dana was taller, stronger and as such made short work of Rachel; shoving her away from Max and towards the door. "Get out!"

"You don't _demand_ things from _me-"_

"Get out before I call security! You don't attend this school, you don't live in the dorms! Leave!" Dana just continued over her, pointing at the door. _"Get. Out!"_

Rachel narrowed her eyes, taking a step back towards Dana - watching as she simply stood taller and glared back at her, keeping herself planted firmly between Max and Rachel.

 _"Leave."_

With a scoff and another quick look at Max, Rachel whirled around and stomped off. "Out of my way!" she growled as she pushed through the small group gathered outside the room.

Max just looked on, her hair and clothes slightly dishevelled from the confrontation. She gulped and glanced up at Dana.

"You okay?" Dana quickly asked, her angry demeanor and voice immediately gone - replaced with concern. She turned around and took Max's hands into her own.

"...y-yeah, I'm just… shook," Max replied and nodded after a few seconds. "S-sorry, I-"

"Nothing to be sorry for Max," Dana quickly interrupted and looked over her shoulder towards the door. She sighed and walked over - placing her hand on it. "Please, just… give us some peace and quiet. Can somebody tell Mr. Madsen what happened here?" she spoke towards the group.

There were a few whispers, words exchanged - Max chose to drown that out as she sat down on the edge of her bed, trembling. She wrapped her arms around herself and heard Dana talking again, closing the door afterwards.

"Hey," she whispered and was quick to pull her arms around Max. "It's okay. She's gone now."

Max sort of just dropped her head on Dana's shoulder, looking at nothing.

She was mulling it all over, Rachel's words, how she possessive she was of Chloe - saying she was _her's_. That didn't sound right - _no_ \- that wasn't right. Rachel had no say over what Chloe wanted, she didn't - _couldn't_ \- do that. It just wasn't right.

"Max," Dana eventually spoke up and pushed away from her a bit - enough to look her girlfriend over. "Everything good?" she asked and smiled, reaching over to brush Max's hair back behind her ear.

There was a momentary pause before Max nodded, closed her eyes and then dropped her face into her hands. "Ugh. I… just didn't expect that. I don't know what I did to piss off Rachel."

"It's alright. Rachel gets irrationally angry," Dana murmured and rubbed Max's arms. "Just talking to Chloe for as long as you did over these past few weeks was probably what had her on edge. She doesn't really allow her to talk to many people, not unless she's present and… controlling the conversation in some sense."

Max looked at Dana and then dropped her head back against her shoulder, leaning in for another hug. "This is just… s-so horrible. How can she treat Chloe like _that_ and Chloe j-just… accepts it?"

Dana sighed and patted Max's back. "I don't know, Max. I don't know."

* * *

Max couldn't find answers herself.

Her week went by uneventfully - something Max thanked for after her encounter with Rachel - and she spent most of her time in her bedroom, locked away. Sometimes she'd spend time with Dana instead - locked away with her. They didn't do much of anything apart from homework.

There were… whispers. Max noticed that.

Rachel's visit was one thing, but Rachel's visit to Max Caulfield - _the_ hipster queen of Blackwell of _all people?_ That got people's imaginations going. Just why was she there and just _why_ did the two of them almost tear each other's throats out?

"Hey Max?" Dana asked, looking up from her bed. One of her school books was across her lap, pencil in hand.

Max sat across the room from her, on Dana's couch. Her head rose up promptly and she managed a smile, looking up from her own book. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to the Mill this weekend?" she asked, shifting forward slightly.

Considering it for the moment, Max almost wanted to say 'yes' - yet she wasn't so sure after another second or so. Rachel would be there. Chloe would be there.

Neither would be good for Max's well being right about now, _probably_ \- but for different reasons. One would probably try to kill her, and the other…

Yeah. It was a hazard of sorts.

"I, uh… I d-don't know…" Max mumbled and let her head drop, eyes focused down on her homework. She fussed about with her pencil before dropping it between the pages. "I don't think that's a good idea."

With a quiet gasp, Max had found Dana sitting beside her only a split-second later - her arm already wrapped around her. Max looked up at her and Dana looked back down at Max with a soft smile.

"Why?" she asked, rubbing Max's shoulder. "Is it because of-"

"-Rachel, yes." Max sighed. "I don't think she'll take kindly to me being there anymore," she mumbled.

Dana hummed thoughtfully.

"We should go anyway," she spoke up after a few seconds. "Rachel won't do anything with the crowd there - trust me."

"I d-don't know…"

"C'mon Max," Dana pushed again, giving Max a small nudge. "I'll be there. Rachel won't try to mess with you, I promise."

That was… reassuring. Dana _would_ be there, and Max had seen Dana angry just a few days prior. _That_ was quite the spectacle, she had to admit, and she was pretty sure even Rachel was a bit afraid when she'd seen her back then.

Maybe…

"Actually, you know what?" Max mumbled and lifted her head up, looking at Dana again. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go to the Mill this weekend - screw what Rachel thinks or says."

Dana was a bit surprised, honestly. Max was too - more so even - but she felt a small spurt of courage knowing that she'd have somebody with her, somebody that… cared? Maybe all she needed was that little push.

She wasn't so sure.

"That's more like it," Dana whispered and squeezed her arm around Max. "Don't let Rachel drain the fun out of it."

Max nodded and looked down at her book, then back up at Dana. She leaned up and stole a quick kiss - only a peck - catching Dana off guard just briefly.

She was getting good at this whole confidence thing. Kissing too. Who'd have known?

Though she didn't expect Dana to suddenly cup her chin and lean in for a much better, much longer kiss somehow. It made her heart pound, her cheeks engulf in crimson and her eyes to close almost dreamily.

Max was getting used to having a girlfriend.

* * *

When the weekend came - which it did only a day or so later - Max and Dana were well on their way to the Mill. They'd arrived in the parking lot just outside, dressed in what they usually wore for the place; though Max's style saw some improvements, courtesy of Dana.

Approaching, Max was pressed against Dana slightly - her arm around her waist. It was new to her, being so close, but she found that she didn't actually mind it that much. People could talk - Max didn't care.

Also, she kind of hoped it would make Chloe… jealous?

Was that so bad?

Max felt bad thinking about it actually, so she stopped. Instead, she focused on the pounding music coming out of the Mill as usual - bobbing her head along.

As Dana led them inside, Max was sure they got a few looks. Probably because she was a somewhat-regular-now arriving with a plus-one of sorts, that being Dana obviously. Neither Max nor Dana paid it much attention though as they headed straight for the bar.

They grabbed beers - despite neither liking them - and then promptly found a table nearby the mosh pit.

Dana smiled as she tapped the bottle necks together before they both took a sip. They also both winced right afterwards - putting their beer right back down on the table.

"I don't like beer," Max admitted.

Snorting, Dana nodded. "Me neither."

They shared a look and laughed - drinking anyway. Eventually they had to get used to the taste, right? Hopefully. Max couldn't see herself drinking beer regularly though, nor could Dana.

Still, once a week on the weekend - relaxing after school and dancing to some pretty good music? She didn't mind that, not really.

"Hey, so how're you holding up so far?" Dana asked over the music and the chatter of other people around them. She could see Max was slightly jittery - tapping her fingers against the desk, her bottle, constantly moving side to side.

It was cute, Dana had to admit.

"I'm… fine. Sorry, just trying to forget the whole Rachel stuff," Max said a few seconds later, smiling across the table.

"Don't be sorry, it was a stressful situation - but that's why we're here now, to relax."

Max nodded, took a swig from her bottle and winced again. "I know."

Dana rolled her eyes and quickly walked around the table, pushing herself into Max's side. She gave her a nudge with her head and smiled. "Cheer up. We're gonna be having fun tonight."

Looking up at Dana, Max nodded and then looked away. Then, only seconds later, she turned her head back around and stole another unexpected kiss. "Thanks."

"We'll be doing a lot more of that too," Dana teased and playfully knocked their hips together.

Max blushed, groaned but then smiled anyway.

* * *

At some point later, Dana had managed to drag Max out to dance ahead of Madhouse's set.

It was even more fun than usual, Max had to admit.

They joked and laughed together, obviously danced too. Dana sometimes would slow them down and talk a bit more, then shoot flirtatious jokes - some of which flew right over Max's head, but others made her groan and roll her eyes because they were so bad.

In all honesty, Max kinda lost the track of time. An hour went by, then two - bands came and went, neither of them really noticing. Music and sound blended together somehow, probably because Max and Dana were so focused on one another.

Surprisingly, they got more beers - one, perhaps two more. They stopped afterwards because the taste wasn't getting any better and they _were_ kinda buzzed from it all.

But they _did_ continue dancing.

They were closer together this time, Dana ensuring of that. She wanted Max to let go, to relax and to have fun - but she didn't have to push far to make that happen.

* * *

There was one more set before Madhouse finally came onto the stage.

As the crowd cheered and stopped dancing, Max and Dana followed them too - standing somewhere near the back and off to the side. Whilst Dana was completely fine with looking over the stage as the band went through quick sound checks, Max somewhat… wilted.

She saw Rachel, but it didn't look like Rachel saw her.

Dana noticed and almost immediately pulled her arm around Max. "Hey - she doesn't see you," Dana spoke up over the crowd. "It's fine, Max. C'mon - don't let her ruin the night just because she's here."

Max flapped her mouth uselessly once, twice - three times. Afterwards she just nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right!" she exclaimed over the racket. People were getting loud.

With a smile, Dana pulled her arm back and then dragged Max somewhere closer to the centre - wanting her to get a better look at the band. Also Chloe, but Max didn't know that.

There was a sudden guitar wail, then silence. The crowd calmed and watched, only a few more whistles and whoops and cheers following before they all were quiet.

"Hey y'all!" Chloe spoke into the mic, leaning in as she tuned her guitar. She played a few quick notes and laughed as the crowd cheered at that too. "Everyone feelin' good tonight?"

Another wave of cheers.

"Alright, I'm takin' that as a yes!" Chloe replied to them and looked around. She didn't notice Max, it seemed. "You know… I was thinkin' we could start slow tonight…" she trailed off.

There were much less whoops and cheers this time.

"...yet it seems y'all wanna get right to it, that right?" she asked and grinned.

Max, Dana and the rest of the crowd all cheered.

Chloe simply smiled and looked behind her, then towards Rachel - seconds later she finally focused back on the crowd. She played a few more notes before abruptly cutting them off.

The drums came in seconds later, harshly at that.

 _"They stick to my tongue,"_ she began, her guitar joining in only seconds later, _"the kisses you threw at me…"_

Chloe pressed closer against the mic, raising her voice. _"I'm fallin' in love, with X's and ecstasy,"_ she sang. _"I tripped on my tongue, and fell into wild dreams…"_

Pulling back, she showed off a bit - grinning at the crowd. Seconds later she was back at it.

 _"Peel off your guts, punch me romantically, I'm burned out on luck - it never did much for me…"_ Chloe bobbed her head for a few moments before leaning back in. _"Tonight let's be young, and light up these sleeping streets…"_

As the drums suddenly died down, Chloe played a few notes herself - breaking the tempo. She reached up to grab the mic and pressed it closer.

 _"It's friday night and I'm in the_ ** _base-ment!_ **_"_ she growled - the drums kicking in for just a few seconds. They went silent again.

 _"Screamin' out my lungs with my_ ** _best friends!_** _"_ she continued, throwing her head back slightly yet keeping the mic pressed against her lips.

 _"I hope when I die, I feel this alive…"_

* * *

Madhouse went on and on. Song after song, they impressed even more than the last. The crowd wasn't getting any quieter either.

Max and Dana however once again found themselves lost. Mostly in the music - but themselves too. They danced and laughed and Dana pushed closer, holding Max's hips as they were bumped into by others.

It was there, perhaps in the heat of the moment, that they both leaned in and kissed.

This was different than the last time - than any other time they kissed. There was a thrill to this, it felt more alive and they both _wanted_ this almost, they both pushed in, collided together and-

There was a sudden shriek as the music came to a stop.

No. It was just _one_ guitar - the drums were still going, yet they too stopped only seconds later.

Silence.

Max pulled back, as did Dana, and the two looked at one another - then around themselves.

Dana noticed that the crowd was staring and making some room around them - almost highlighting them as some sort of spectacle for all to watch. But she couldn't quite figure out _why_ , not immediately anyway.

Max did. Max figured it out in an instant the music came to a stop.

Staring down at her from the stage was Chloe, eyes wide. Her mouth was open as her head leaned back away from the mic - just… staring. Staring at Max, at Dana.

There was a look on her face, one of… confusion, shock, sadness - perhaps jealousy?

Max couldn't figure it out as she simply looked back at her. Her cheeks were quick to start burning up and she felt Dana tugging on her hand, but Max couldn't look away. She _couldn't._

It went on for a few more moments.

Rachel approached Chloe, grabbed her by the chin and kissed her - causing even more confusion in the crowd. After a few more seconds, there were a few cheers.

Yet Chloe wasn't exactly into it - her eyes were still desperately focused on Max, even with her head turned and her lips locked with Rachel. Only once they broke away did she blink, look away and focus on Rachel.

Leaning into the mic, she cleared her throat. "Uh. Sorry y'all - I just got all hot and bothered about two girls makin' out," she joked - not once looking at Max, not again.

As the crowd roared in laughter and cheered and fell back into one another, it seemed their focus was once again back on the band. Soon the drums took off and then the guitars, then sure enough Chloe was singing again.

It didn't sound the same though.

"Max," Dana said and began to drag Max out of the crowd - towards the bar. "C'mon. I think that's enough for the night."

Max just flapped her mouth about some more - still looking at Chloe as she was dragged and dragged and dragged, back towards the bar and then further; towards the exit.

Not once did Chloe look at her.

Shit.


	9. Radio Silence

Time passed.

First it was a week, then two, three three. An entire month.

An entire month passed since Max attended her last Madhouse concert. An entire month passed since Max had seen Chloe. An entire month passed since they texted or talked together.

It was slowly becoming unbearable for Max - despite having Dana there for her.

Their relationship was also… starting to distance itself however.

They were still together - _sure_ \- but they only saw each other once every few days, only talked here or there. Sometimes Max would go to Dana's room to hang out, sometimes Dana would go to Max's room instead.

Max felt guilty. Max felt guilty of a lot of things. It sucked big time.

There were doubts - _a lot_ actually - and they ate away at Max, day and night. She'd lie in her bed some days and just stare at her ceiling, her head off on a tangent - mind wondering. She'd think about how she could do something differently - perhaps this little thing, or that, or perhaps this-

It didn't really matter anyway because Max had already made her decisions and was now living with the consequences. She felt bad about it all.

Dana noticed, but she wasn't surprised. She expected it.

* * *

As another week passed by uneventfully, Max found herself in her room - working on some piece of homework or other.

It was mostly quiet - though her hifi was on and it was playing some of her indie stuff. Something to help her relax. She'd grown very fond of punk music ever since she started listening to Madhouse but her roots would always be in the softer, more serene sounds. Conor Oberst, Sufjan Stevens and all that.

That was probably because it reminded her of her youth a bit, before there was Blackwell, before Seattle - when it was Long Max Silver and Captain Bluebeard, out to conquer the seven seas and Arcadia.

Max smiled when the thought cropped up.

Then she frowned when she realised that Chloe still hadn't said a word to her since the last time they saw one another. You know - that time that her and Dana kissed right in front of her.

Ugh.

Just as Max dove back into her books, there was a knock on her door.

She listened for a few seconds. It didn't sound harsh - nor did she hear pacing outside; maybe it wasn't Rachel. Max would know if it was Chloe, because Chloe would probably be tearing down the door rather than be knocking on it.

So it must've been someone else.

"Max."

Dana. Of course.

Max slapped her hands over her face and screamed silently. Not _now._ Life had a real funny thing for giving Max a hard time it seemed.

"C'mon pretend girlfriend, open up."

Again there was a silence as Max simply shook her head. She was not in the right headspace to talk right now, not when everything from the past month was piling on top of her.

Yet Dana was _kinda_ her girlfriend.

Agh.

Max's phone rang. Of-fucking-course. She just couldn't win.

"Max - you're inside your room," Dana said and there was an audible, yet slightly muffled, sigh from the other side of the door. "Please, can you open the door? I want to talk with you."

Staring at her phone, Max considered destroying the damn thing. It betrayed her.

"Max-"

"-alright, fine! Jeez!" Max finally broke and called out, grumbling as she pushed herself out of her chair. She closed her book, pushed it away and then lingered beside her desk.

She took in a breath, shook herself off and then walked across the room - opening the door. She smiled at Dana and leaned in against her door a bit.

"Hey," Dana said and looked over Max's shoulder before glancing back at the girl herself. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah - of course," Max mumbled - stepping aside. She closed the door after Dana and then followed her in further. "Whats up?"

Turning to face Max, Dana smiled and looked her up and down. She stared and stared before finally rolling her eyes and grabbing Max's hand. "I was thinking we could go grab something to eat. Breakfast on me," she suggested, watching Max.

After just a moment of deliberation, Max scrunched up her nose and then shook her head. "I'm not that hungry Dana, really-"

She was interrupted by a deep rumble from her stomach. Betrayed. Again.

 _Et tu, stomach?_

"Ehm. Actually, you know… breakfast doesn't sound so… bad right now…?" Max whispered and gave Dana her best smile before she blushed, looked away and cleared her throat in embarrassment.

Dana just laughed and let go of Max's hand. "Good. Get dressed, c'mon girl," she spoke and made her way to Max's door, taking a step outside before she pulled her head back in. "I'll be over in a sec, I need to grab a jacket."

Then, just as quickly as she had came, Dana had left - leaving Max in her room, standing in the middle. She sighed and collapsed back on her bed, staring at her ceiling.

She didn't feel so great.

Well. Maybe some Two Whales food would make her feel better.

Who was she kidding - it _would_ make her feel better.

* * *

Dana drove them over to the Two Whales, the journey taking less than 15 minutes. Once parked, Max gave the parking lot a cursory glance and sure enough there was no truck. Chloe wasn't there.

She hoped anyway.

But she kinda hoped she _was_ there somehow.

 _Sigh._

"C'mon Max," Dana said as she slipped out of the car, looking back inside toward the brunette. "Waffles await."

Max smiled briefly and then finally stepped out of the car herself, pulling her hoodie closer around herself - it was chilly. She waited until Dana locked the car and then felt her hand slip into her own, smiling again at the simple contact.

They hurried over to the diner and entered.

Almost immediately Max had to pause and take in the variety of smells - all of them delicious. She couldn't help but lick her lips slightly, following Dana over to a booth on the far side of the diner; away from her and Chloe's usual one.

"Gosh," Max began quietly as she settled down, "I could stay here forever. Everything always smells so good."

"Well thank you Max," Joyce spoke as she approached, wearing her usual warm smile on her face. "I'll make sure to give you a discount for the kind words."

Max smiled back at her. "Hey Joyce."

"Hello there honey, what'll it be?" Joyce asked, looking at Dana and then Max.

"A coffee," Dana said, "and a belgian waffle."

Joyce hummed, looking back toward Max. "And you, sweetie?"

Max knitted her eyebrows, scrunching up her face before finally making up her mind. "I'll have the same."

"Two coffees and two belgian waffles, coming right up."

Watching as Joyce walked back over to the kitchen, Max sighed slightly. She wondered if Joyce knew what happened between herself and Chloe. Probably not. Chloe and Joyce didn't have the greatest relationship from what she remembered the last time she was in the Two Whales with her.

"What are you thinking about?" Dana asked, interrupting Max's thoughts.

"Oh. I was just… thinking about Chloe," Max admitted, then winced slightly when she realised what it sounded like. "I mean I was thinking about Chloe and Joyce. They… don't get along well."

Dana chuckled, watching Max - her head tilted slightly. "It's alright Max. I'm not going be jealous because you're thinking about Chloe, I realise how important she is to you. No sweat."

Max just hummed at that, turning back toward her girlfriend. She stared out of the window and watched as people walked by, cars drove past. She focused a bit on the ocean just beyond the waterfront - seeing a few fishing vessels sailing.

"How do you feel?" Dana eventually asked, causing Max to give her a look.

"I'm fine," Max replied, "just fine."

"I meant us. How do you feel about us so far? We've been together a while now. Well, a month. That's a while in Blackwell though."

Max chuckled softly and looked down at the table, thinking. "I… I don't mind. I like it," she whispered and focused back up on Dana. "I've never been with anyone so… it's… different? But it's nice."

"I understand."

They shared a smile before reaching over to hold hands. Dana squeezed Max's and Max squeezed back, then they both separated when they noticed Joyce making her way over.

"One belgian waffle," Joyce murmured, placing a plate in front of Max. "Two belgian waffles," she continued, placing another plate in front of Dana. She leaned back and then sighed slightly. "I forgot your coffee. One moment."

It was difficult to make out what Joyce had said once she placed Max's plate in front of her. The waffle - as usual - looked _heavenly_. She didn't waste any time in digging in, savouring the first bite.

"These are so good," she spoke, her mouth partially full. She then blushed and covered her mouth. "Sorry," she added, swallowing.

Dana laughed as she herself took a bite. She hummed and closed her eyes, pausing for a few seconds before she chewed and swallowed. "I never realised they were _this_ good. I always got a small breakfast from here, but after this… it's going to be hard to say no to a belgian waffle."

Max giggled between bites, watching as Joyce walked back toward them with a pot of coffee in hand.

She laid out two cups on the table and promptly filled them, giving both Dana and Max another smile before walking back to serve other patrons in the diner.

They ate mostly in silence, sharing a few words here or there - laughing occasionally.

Max felt the worries of the past month fade away when she was with Dana.

She was finally able to relax.

* * *

"Where to now?" Dana asked once they left the diner.

Their breakfast finished, they were both sated for a while. Hell. Max would argue they were sated for the rest of the day - Two Whales food just had that effect it seemed.

"Oh. I don't know. Blackwell?" Max suggested, hands in her hoodie as they walked across the parking lot to Dana's car. "Unless you want to go somewhere else?"

"Blackwell is fine," Dana replied and bumped shoulders with Max, looking down at her with a smile. "We'll watch something, how about that?"

Max furrowed her eyebrows before nodding. "Sure. As long as I get to pick what though."

"We'll see."

Moments later Max grunted slightly when Dana slapped her arm. "Ow, hey!"

"You're it!" Dana shouted as she suddenly bolted forward, laughing.

Max was confused for all of a second before frowning.

"That's not fair!" she yelled out, but took off after Dana anyway.

Max managed to catch Dana rather quickly. As a reward she got to pick a movie later.

Also a kiss.

Kiss _es_ , actually, which was more than Dana figured Max would want. Who knew?

* * *

"What did ya pick?"

Max looked up from Dana's couch, seeing the girl enter the room. She smiled and then glanced back down to the laptop on the small coffee table in front.

"Breaking Bad."

"That's not a movie, Max," Dana pointed out with a grin, making her way over. She flopped down beside Max, pulling her legs up onto the table.

"I need to catch up before the new season," Max mumbled and leaned over to start the episode, leaning right back. She felt Dana's arm settle around her shoulder and she sort of just melted into her in turn. "Besides, you didn't say it had to be a movie."

Dana snorted when Max stuck her tongue out briefly. "You got me there."

Max smiled and relaxed.

And on the episode went.

They watched intently, but they did share conversation a few times. There was a few laughs and a few tense moments.

The first episode was knocked out in a breeze and Max immediately turned on the second. Again they stayed focused.

By the third, things began to get a bit… close.

Max would shiver slightly whenever Dana's hand ran up the side of her neck and Dana would smile whenever Max's hand would squeeze her knee just a tad. The little things almost made Max melt, then and there.

But it wasn't until a few minutes later when Max felt Dana's gaze settle on her. She ignored it for all but a few seconds before she met her in the middle - the two just staring.

Then they leaned in, the moment seemingly right in both their heads. Their lips met in a chaste encounter that lasted all but a second. Then they met again. And again. And again, and again and again.

Soon enough Max was lying down, Dana looming above her as they made out. Hands wondered but kept themselves above the clothes, yet they both yearned for more, _more_.

Max's heart hammered against her chest as she did her best to follow Dana's lead, but she managed to surprise herself when at one point she heard Dana let out a quiet _moan._ It only further stoked the fire in her gut as her hands wrapped around Dana's neck, pulling her down again.

Time passed quickly and much to their chagrin they both realised they still had school tomorrow, early morning classes. After a few more kisses, Dana was the first to finally pull back but keep herself above Max - their eyes half lidded, staring over one another.

"...wowser," Max whispered.

It took all of a second for Dana to burst out in laughter.

Max fucking _blushed_ and quickly hid her face in her hands, groaning loudly. She couldn't help but smile however, taking a slight joy in the sound of Dana's laughter.

"Okay, I think that's enough, huh?" Dana teased, pushing herself up and off Max - holding her hand out. She pulled her up and sat down beside her again, putting a hand on her knee. "...so… how was it?"

After a few seconds of staring at Dana, Max cleared her throat. "Good. Uhm. Really, really good. Like. Wowser."

Dana giggled. "You weren't too bad yourself. You actually... surprised me a bit…" she admitted and rubbed the back of her neck, her usual confident self melting for a moment. "I almost don't want to believe you hadn't had a girlfriend before with how well you kiss."

Max gaped her mouth, thinking over the words, processing, wheels turning in her head. She then let out a goofy grin and dropped her head onto her shoulder. "Thanks," she whispered, her chest welling up with a bit of pride.

She relaxed and felt Dana's hand run up her back gently before drifting back down - the two of them letting their bodies cool. Things got quite heated back there, truth be told.

"I'd love for us to continue but we have morning classes," Dana finally broke the silence after a few minutes. "So maybe another time, hm?"

Watching Dana, Max nodded after a second, speaking, "I'd like that."

They shared another look and then a chaste kiss.

She'd by lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy this day a whole lot. A lot _a lot_ actually, so much so that the thoughts of Chloe and the previous month were nothing but a white noise in the back of her head.

* * *

Max was back in her dorm room after only a few minutes. She immediately locked the door behind her, taking a moment, a breath, before she felt the tug in her gut again.

Ugh.

That makeout session definitely did a number on her.

She smiled to herself like an idiot, then bit her lip, her hand trailing just short of her waistband - waiting. She thought about it for a hot minute, remembered the way Dana felt, the touches they shared and-

God fucking _damnit._

Her jeans were off in seconds as she laid down on her bed, doing her best to take it slowly. But she couldn't resist, not right now, not after what happened and what they were just short of doing.

Hand down her panties, Max gasped quietly and bit down her lip to try and stop herself from being too loud. She had no interest in letting the dorm know what she was up to.

Then, just as her fingers trailed down near her core, reached the heat-

 _bzzbzz._

What the _fuck!_

Max screamed internally, almost jumping when she heard her jeans vibrate on the floor. Her fingers hovered briefly as she went over it in her head. She could just ignore it but-

 _bzzbzz._

"God, fucking, shit, _fuck-"_ she went off, grumbling under her nose as her hand withdrew and she leaned over the side of her bed. She pulled her jeans over and grabbed her phone.

Her heart nearly froze over right then and there as she read her notifications.

 **Chloe:** hey

 **Chloe:** u awake?

 **Chloe:** wanna talk

Max stared and stared, eyes wide. Just when she thought she was over what happened, it all came crashing down on her again.

She waited.

Waited.

Waited, thinking, though her mind was going a thousand miles a second-

 _bzzbzz._

She almost dropped her phone.

 **Chloe:** max

 **Chloe:** pls b awake

After a moment of deliberation, Max unlocked her phone and proceeded to tap away at the screen.

 **Max:** whats up?


End file.
